Teen intern at Foxconn affiliate dead after fall

The death adds to a string of worker suicides at factories in south China run by or linked to Foxconn, a supplier to Apple Inc.

Chinese state media said the student from the Dongfang Vocational School of Technology in north China’s Hebei province died early Tuesday.

LCD maker Chimei Innolux Corp. confirmed the death in a statement late Tuesday and said the teenager, surnamed Liu, arrived at its factory in Guangdong province’s Foshan city June 28 and was being let go because he failed to show up for work for several days.

The statement said Liu’s internship was terminated July 7 and the factory had been trying to arrange to have him sent back to his hometown.

At least 13 others have attempted or committed suicide at Foxconn Technology Group’s operations in southern China. All but one involved workers who jumped from buildings. Three survived. Another worker killed himself in January at a factory in northern China.

Foxconn, part of Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., is the world’s largest contract maker of electronics. Its long list of big-name customers include Apple Inc., Sony Corp., Dell Inc., Nokia Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co.

Associated Press