India state launches probe into fire at Apple supplier Foxlink

By Praveen Paramasivam

CHITTOOR, India (Reuters) - India's Andhra Pradesh state has launched an investigation into what caused a fire at the factory of Apple supplier Foxlink that led to the collapse of part of the building and disrupted production, a government official said on Wednesday.

Foxlink's plant, which makes charging cables for iPhones in the southern state, was engulfed in a massive fire on Monday, but there were no casualties. The fire department has said much of the fire safety equipment at the factory was not functional.

The factories department, which is responsible for ensuring the safety and welfare of workers in the state, has launched an investigation.

The department is "investigating the fire accident at Foxlink factory and, over the next couple of days, is looking to probe how the fire happened," Ramakrishna Reddy, deputy chief inspector of factories, told Reuters.

Reddy added that his initial assessment was there were no immediate worker safety concerns as only a few employees had to be taken to hospital for first-aid after they reported dizziness following the incident.

Foxlink on Wednesday said it is investigating the cause of the fire and "working hard to resume production".

The incident has raised supply chain concerns for the U.S. tech giant Apple, given Foxlink was a "key supplier" in India, Reuters has reported.

(Reporting by Praveen Paramsivam; Writing by Arpan Chaturvedi; Editing by Aditya Kalra and Kim Coghill)