First Death from Mobile Phone Battery Explosion Recorded

For the first time in the world history, a mobile phone battery explosion took a person’s life, reported the Chinese media.

The state-run Xinhua news agency reported on July 3 that a mobile phone battery exploded in the chest pocket of Xiao Jinpeng, a 22-year old welding technician while he was welding on June 19 at the Yingpan iron smelting plant in Shuangcheng in Gansu Province`s county of Jinta, and that he recently died after being taken to the hospital.

The joint investigation conducted by the local police and the Jinta County Public Security Bureau found that the explosion fractured Xiao`s ribs, and battery fragments pierced his heart, resulting in his eventual death. The police assumed that the battery exploded due to the hot temperature of 50 degrees Celsius at the workshop.

The exploded mobile phone was manufactured by Motorola, but the code numbers of the phone’s body and battery haven’t been confirmed yet, the local media said.

The police are focusing their investigation on whether the battery had quality defects. According to mobile phone quality standards in China, batteries should be manufactured to endure temperatures as high as 80 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, Yingpan iron smelting plant officials decided to offer an indemnity of 100,000 yuan (roughly 13,000 dollars) for the bereaved family, taking into consideration that the death occurred at work.

orionha@donga.com