Foxconn closes Taiyuan plant after 2,000 employees riot

Word has hit the wire that around 2,000 Foxconn workers rioted at the company's Taiyuan plant in northern China. Reuters received word that Foxconn closed the plant today for investigation.

The cause of the incident, which injured 40 people, is believed to be related to a personal dispute between several employees, it broke out around 11 p.m. local time on Sunday in a privately managed dormitory, and was brought under control by local police around 3 a.m.

Foxconn, the trading name of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co and the world's largest contract maker of electronic goods, has seen a few violent disputes at its sprawling plants in China, where it employs a total of about 1 million workers.

A staff member at the Taiyuan plant said he was told the plant could be closed up to two to three days for police investigations.

"There are a lot of police at the site now," the staff member, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to media, told Reuters by telephone.

Engadget on the other hand picked up a rumor that the riot was triggered by security guards hitting a worker, but the site also highlights the reportedly poor work conditions at the plant.

The Taiyuan factory employees around 79,000 workers, it makes magnesium alloy components for consumer electronics, heat conduction products, LED lighting products, mobile phone products and magnesium alloy automotive components. According to Reuters, the plant also makes parts for and assembles Apple's iPhone 5.