Forty people were injured late Sunday in a fight that broke out among workers at a Foxconn plant in north China's Shanxi Province, government officials said Monday. As one of Apple's suppliers, Foxconn is the world's largest maker of computer components.

Among the injured, three were in a serious condition, with most of the others slightly injured, a senior official with the government of Taiyuan City, the provincial capital said.

The fight started at 11 p.m. in the site's dormitory zone in Taiyuan, attracting more than 10,000 spectators and triggering chaos, according to the city's public security bureau.

Around 5,000 policemen were sent to the scene, bringing it under control at 9 a.m. Monday.

An initial investigation found that the fight broke out as workers from Shandong Province clashed with those from Henan Province, according to the official.

In China, people from the same hometown often unite together, and if one of them is offended, his hometown people are likely to fight back on his behalf.

Management at the plant were not immediately available for comment. A further investigation is under way.

The government official denied media reports that there had been a halt in the plant's production work, with the plant still in operation on Monday.

Foxconn faced criticism of harsh working conditions two years ago after a string of suicides committed by factory employees.

The company currently has about 1 million employees on the Chinese mainland, including more than 70,000 in the Taiyuan plant.

(Xinhua News Agency September 24, 2012)