Foxconn, which makes Apple's iPhones, suspended production at a factory in China on Monday after a brawl by as many as 2,000 employees at a dormitory injured 40 people.

The fight erupted Sunday night at a privately managed dormitory near a Foxconn Technology Group factory in the northern city of Taiyuan, the company and Chinese police said. A police statement reported by the official Xinhua News Agency said 5,000 officers were dispatched to the scene.

The Taiyuan plant, which employs about 79,000 workers, makes automobile electronic components, consumer electronic components and precision moldings. An employee told Reuters the plant also makes parts and assembles Apple's iPhone 5.

In a statement, Foxconn cited police as saying about 40 people were taken to hospital for medical attention and a number were arrested.

Report: Riots break out at Foxconn factory in China

The company said the incident escalated from what it called a personal dispute between several employees at around 11 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET) on Sunday. It was brought under control by local police at around 3 a.m.

"The cause of this dispute is under investigation by local authorities and we are working closely with them in this process, but it appears not to have been work-related," Foxconn said.

Burned vehicle
The fight drew "a large crowd of spectators ... triggering chaos," a police spokesman was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

Photos posted on microblog service Sina Weibo showed broken windows, a burned vehicle and police with riot helmets, shields and clubs.

Worker suicide at plant of Apple supplier, Foxconn

"The plant is closed today for investigation," Foxconn spokesman Louis Woo said.

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.

Foxconn also assembles products for Microsoft Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. It is one of China's biggest employers.

The company has faced scrutiny over complaints in the past about wages and working hours. It raised minimum pay and promised in March to limit hours after an auditor hired by Apple found Foxconn employees regularly were required to work more than 60 hours a week.

Worker at iPad firm in China: 'We're not machines'

But in June, about 100 workers went on a rampage at a Chengdu plant in southwestern China.

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

More China coverage from our Behind the Wall blog

"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.

Calls to the Taiyuan police were not immediately answered, while an official at the plant declined to comment when reached by telephone.

Let's be fair, The whole article keeps talking Foxconn is the supplier of APPLE, iPhone, iPad......
They are the supplier of Nokia, Sony, Nintendo, Motorlola, HP, Intel, Microsoft, Dell, Acer, Amazon too

Suddenly my 1st world problems seem minimal in comparison. We really benefit all the time from the long hours, horrible working conditions and abysmal pay of millions of people.

When 2000 people are involved in a fight, does it remain a brawl and not a riot? Broken windows, burned car and 5000 police officers...that definitely sounds more like 'riot' territory.

Alternatively, the "horrible pay" has brought about 200,000,000 people out of subsistence farming into a middle class. Foxconn employees make more than most university graduates in China. Pay is entirely relative.

Do not respond to me with your right views. I do not agree with your justification of giving people progress by turning them into still malnourished and often poisoned machines due to toxic conditions.

Like continued progress in those countries can really be sustained anyways, as the world does not have infinite resources. We will be facing rude awakenings in the not too far future I can tell you that.

If you believe that the Chinese workers are being taken advantage of, then by all means, stop buying anything from any 3rd world country, and only buy American or European. Additionally, I hope you grown all your own food, or purchase it from a sustainable co-op.

We're certainly in for a rude awakening in the next 20-30 years. But it has nothing to do with resources, or the environment.

Hopefully the injured all make a speedy recovery and the company takes measures to improve working conditions as much as possible.

On a sidenote I love how easily China can dispatch 5000 police for a relatively speaking small disturbance. I wonder how many police per capita they have. To put things in perspective I live in a state with roughly 7.2 million people (NSW) and the last time I checked we only have ~15,000 police. We sure are undermanned lol.

Let them eat cake.

I've never heard it so clearly.

could you provide a link to this clame please, am very surprise about that