Apple supplier Pegatron reported that an explosion occurred at a subsidiary company in China, with Shanghai authorities stating that 61 workers were sent to hospital.
Saturday’s explosion occurred at a Shanghai factory operated by RiTeng Computer Accessory, which lists PC makers Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Asus among its clients. Shanghai authorities said 27 employees were required to stay in the hospital for observation, but none had life-threatening injuries.
The explosion resulted in damage to a minor part of the factory’s automation equipment, Pegatron said in a statement to the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The damage will have minimal effect on the factory’s operations, it said.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but preliminary results suggest it was caused by aluminium dust, Shanghai authorities said.
A receptionist at Pegatron said the company was not available for comment at this time. RiTeng was also not available for comment.
Earlier this year, another Apple suppler Foxconn also reported that an explosion occurred at a factory in Chengdu, killing three workers. The company said the explosion was caused by “combustible dust in a duct.”