Two are dead in an explosion at a Foxconn plant in Southwestern China.
Two are dead in an explosion at a Foxconn plant in Southwestern China. REUTERS

An explosion at a Foxconn factory in China has killed two people and injured 16.

The factory, located in southwestern China near Chengdu, is a manufacturing location for Apple's iPad tablet. The explosion occurred on Friday night around 7 pm, and is under control by the local fire department. According to The Wall St. Journal, the cause of the explosion is being investigated by local police.

In a statement, Foxconn said production at the facilities has been suspended at the site of the explosion until the completion of the investigation. The safety of our employees is our highest priority and we will do whatever is required to determine and address the cause of this tragic accident, a Foxconn spokesperson said.

Several rumors are floating around as to the cause of the accident. An English language Chinese news site, China Financial Daily, said the explosion was caused by a super-light dust explosion. Other rumors have the explosion being caused by lightning strikes while others said there were problems with the ventilation system in the building.

Videos have surfaced of the facility after the explosion, but do not shed too much light on the situation. The videos simply show black smoke coming from the facility. According to the BBC, security guards were telling the evacuees, which included hundreds of people, that the smoke was toxic.

Foxconn was in the news last year because a number of employees committed suicide, due to the tough working conditions at the plant. The suicides forced the Apple supplier to change its employee relations.

Apple has yet to comment on the recent Foxconn explosion.

Here's a video courtesy of Sohu