An urgent safety warning has been issued after a teenager tragically died from what is believed to be a massive electrical shock after falling asleep on top of her mobile phone.
The victim was 17-year-old Khorn Srey Pov, a Chinese translator working for the Sing Yon Kong Yik gold mining company in Kratie province, Cambodia.
Prior to her death, Ms Pov had taken a shower and left her phone on charge, leaving it lying on the bed with its torch light switched on.
After getting out of the shower, it is believed she climbed into bed and fell asleep on top of the phone, where she was killed instantly after being electrocuted by her device.
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The incident has since provoked a debate on social media about the safety of phone chargers.
"They should be having public awareness campaigns on how to handle electricity,” said one person.
“I see people touching live wires on those transformer posts all the time, and unfortunate incidents like these happen often," another commented.
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A third said: "She had just showered, so perhaps she was still wet when she laid down atop that multi-socket thingamajig.
“Even if dry though, it’s not a good idea to have one of those in bed with you. Tragic."
Sadly, this isn’t the first instance of someone being electrocuted by their smartphone. In 2013, Apple investigated the death of a Chinese woman who was reportedly electrocuted after answering a call on her iPhone while it was charging.
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And in February this year, 18-year-old Angel Andrada was electrocuted and died after leaving the family dinner table to charge his phone in Argentina.
In Brazil, a two-year-old toddler Sara Alves de Albuquerque died after getting an electric shock from a mobile phone charger last year.
Experts explain that the chances of someone being electrocuted by a charger is low. However, the risks grow if an incompatible or substandard charger is used, as they do not insulate correctly, resulting in fire, overheating or electric shock.
Topics: Technology, Phones
Tom Sanders