Apple Investigates Claims that a Woman Died from a Shock Caused by a Charging iPhone 5
Mobile phones have become an important part of people’s lives, and these devices rarely ever leave their sides. So the last thing that anyone wants to think is that mobile phones could be harmful. Unfortunately, one Chinese girl has found out the hard way that technology … can be deadly.
Southern Airline stewardess Ma Ailun, 23, was found dead after being hit with a powerful electrical current. The young girl was to be married on August 8 and would have turned 24 on August 16. So this just leaves one question unanswered: Where did this shock come from?
Local authorities in Xinjiang took a few days to determine what the cause of death was or, at the very least, they took a few days to reveal what the cause of death was to the public. When they finally did release the information, they said that Ailun was electrocuted. At the time, the police said that they could not identify the source of the current that ended up killing her.
Currently, it is believed that the shock came from her iPhone 5. Family members say that Ailun had gotten out of the bath to answer an incoming call. Apparently, the phone was still charging when she went to answer it. Her family says that she purchased her iPhone 5 back in December, and it was still under warranty. They also went on say that she was using all genuine parts from Apple on her phone.
Stories of people being electrocuted while playing with a charging cellphone are not unheard of. In fact, a number of these stories have popped up all over the internet during recent years. Most of the time, these stories come out of India. In fact, there was a pair of young Indian men who died in 2004. It is claimed that they died when trying to answer a phone call while their phone was charging.
Although these stories may seem unlikely, some experts think that there might be some truth to them. First of all, if the phone or charger was defective, it could have very easily given off an electrical shock. That being said, the stories are still hard to believe since the normal electrical current flowing into a changing phone is not enough to kill anyone.
Other stories have reported that people have died after buying cheap knock-offs. In 2011, a 25-year-old man from India was killed after answering a phone while it was charging. According to reports, his phone was a Chinese knock-off. Once again, these reports could never be confirmed.
Regardless if it was the iPhone 5 that killed the young girl or not, Apple is taking it very seriously. A spokesman for Apple China said that the company is deeply saddened to hear of the tragic incident involving the young 23-year-old girl. Apple sends out its condolences to the Ma family and is launching a full investigation into this event. Apple is also going to cooperate completely with the authorities on this matter.
So was Ailun killed by her iPhone 5? It is hard to tell, but it is official that she died from electrocution and that she left the shower to answer her mobile. Given the fact that she had jumped out of the shower to answer her phone, it is possible that she was still wet when she went to answer her phone. Everyone knows that water and electronics don’t mix well. Either way, social media site are alive with people re-tweeting this accident, advising others to never answer their phone when it is charging.
[via Reuters]