Taipei, Sept. 13 (CNA) Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. said Thursday it had been informed of the case of a young male worker at a factory of its China-based subsidiary, Foxconn Technology Group, who fell to his death a day earlier.

According to Chinese media reports, the 22-year-old worker, identified only by his family name of Yang, fell from a Foxconn dormitory in its Guanlan factory complex in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen Wednesday.

Noting that the worker fell from a rented apartment outside the factory complex itself, Hon Hai said it was still trying to get more details about the young man's death.

Hon Hai, the world's largest contract electronics maker, which assembles Apple Inc.'s iconic iPhones and iPads, said it was cooperating with Chinese police in an investigation into the case.

It remained unclear whether the death was being treated as a suicide, the company said. However, some reports said Yang, a native of Qiqihaer in Heilongjiang, northeastern China, slashed his wrists in his room on the 8th floor before jumping from a window on the floor above.

At least 13 Foxconn employees died in apartment suicides in 2010, followed by several others in 2011. Some labor rights activists blamed tough working conditions, leading to calls for better treatment of the company staff.

Foxconn denied the accusations. It raised wages by nearly 70 percent at its China plants in 2010. Apple gave a positive review of working conditions at its China plants earlier this year.

(By Chai Ssu-chia and Sofia Wu)
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