According to China’s Xinhua news agency, a 23-year-old Xinjiang woman was electrocuted when she answered her iPhone while it was charging. The victim, Ma Ailun, was a resident of the city of Changji and a former flight attendant for China Southern Airlines. The news of the electrocution hit Chinese microblog Sina Weibo and has spread quickly in the Asian country.
Both police and the woman’s father confirm that the young woman died from electrocution. A local Public Safety bureau was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying that “her neck had an obvious electronic injury.” Details are sparse about the cause of the accident and the investigation into the cause is ongoing. Though she was on the phone at the time, of the accident, it is not known whether it was the phone, the charger or some other factor that was responsible for the fatality.
Apple responded to the incident and said it was working with Chinese authorities, “We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the Ma family. We will fully investigate and cooperate with authorities in this matter.”
[Via The Wall Street Journal and Xinhua news agency]