Tech & Biz

Killer cell phone: man dies after mobile phone explodes

by TDH | February 3, 2009 at 09:47 am

1564 views | 9 Recommendations | 4 comments

According to reports, a young Chinese man has died from injuries related to an exploding cell phone.

A local Chinese daily, Shin Min Daily News, is reporting this latest mobile phone related death in China. According to the daily, the man had just put a new battery in his phone and then placed it in his chest pocket when it exploded, severing a major artery in his neck and causing him to bleed to death.

An employee at the shop told Chinese media that she heard a loud bang and saw her colleague lying on the floor of the shop in a pool of blood. The employee said the victim had recently changed the battery in his mobile phone.

The make and model of the phone is yet to be determined. There is some speculation that it may have been an altered or counterfeit phone.

This, unfortunately, is not he first Chinese man to die from an "exploding" cellphone.

Local reports said that this was the ninth recorded cellphone explosion in China since 2002. In the most high profile recent incident, in June 2007, a 22-year-old welder, Xiao Jinpeng, died from chest wounds when his mobile phone exploded while he was at work at an iron mill in Gansu province.

In response to the incident, the Shin Min Daily published the following tips on how best to avoid such a horrific death,

- Always use original batteries. Be sure that batteries by the manufacturer are meant for your mobile phone.

- Never modify your phone

- Always use original battery chargers

- Do not expose your mobile phone to high temperatures, and avoid exposing it to direct sunlight

- Avoid long phone conversations

- Do not make or answer calls when the phone is charging

- Try to keep your phone in a bag instead of in a pocket

- Do not use damaged batteries