Two Killed at China Manufacturer for Apple, Others

Chinese media reports say two people have died following an explosion at a factory in southwestern China belonging to electronics maker Foxconn Technology Group.

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Chinese workers assemble electronic components at the Taiwanese technology giant Foxconn's factory in Shenzhen.

The cause of Friday evening's blast during a shift change at the plant in Chengdu wasn't immediately known. Taiwanese-owned Foxconn is the world's biggest contract electronics manufacturer with customers including Apple, Sony and Hewlett-Packard.

The official Xinhua News Agency said another 16 people were injured in the explosion.

Last year, the company scrambled to improve conditions at its plants after a string of worker suicides.

The company's factories in China employ more than 920,000 people in total.

Calls to Foxconn spokesmen in Taiwan rang unanswered Friday night.

Apple said in a statement Friday that it was "deeply saddened by the tragedy at Foxconn's plant in Chengdu, and our hearts go out to the victims and their families."

"We are working closely with Foxconn to understand what caused this terrible event."