Apple is investigating a case of a 23-year-old Chinese woman who died of electrocution last Thursday as she answered a call from her iPhone 5 while the battery was charging. Chinese news outlet Xinhaunet identifies the victim of the fatal iPhone 5 electrocution as Ma Ailun, a former flight attendant and resident of western Xinjiang region.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the Ma family,” Apple’s Beijing-based spokesperson Carolyn Wu said in an interview with ABC News. “We will fully investigate and cooperate with authorities in this matter.”
Apart from the spokesperson’s statement, Apple would not comment further on the iPhone 5 electrocution case until the investigation has concluded.
Details about the case have been sparse. According to Xinhaunet, Ma bought the iPhone 5 from an Apple store last December and was using the original charger to recharge its battery before the incident.
Donald Johnson, a professional engineer specializing with investigations on stray voltage and electrocutions, shared his expertise with ABC News. “There are a lot of things that could have caused this. Many seem unlikely, but you never know–electricity can do strange things,” he said.
Johnson also suggested that the iPhone 5 electrocution may have to do with something specifically faulty with the charger that was being used.
In a separate report, Johnny Sin Kin-on, a professor from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said that there is a risk of electrocution when using an electrical device while the battery inside it was being charged.
Source: ABC News, The Sun
