South Korean police revealed today that a 33 year-old quarry worker was found dead with a mobile phone stuck to his chest. It is believed that the device may have caused the death. The man had burns on his chest, fractured ribs and internal bleeding, a doctor said.
“When he was admitted into the emergency room, the melted mobile phone was stuck to he left side of his shirt,” said Kim Hoon, professor at emergency department at Chungbuk National University Hospital, who examined the victim.
“I cannot think of any other cause of his death other than his mobile phone exploding,” Kim said.
Yonhap news agency reported that police are looking into the possibility that a faulty battery caused the death. It will take around 10 days for police to complete their investigation as to whether the cellphone is responsible for the fatality.
“He (the victim) was found lying next to an excavator while working at a stone quarry,” an official from the Cheongju Heungdeok police station, about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Seoul, told Reuters.
Witness Kwon Young-sup told national broadcaster YTN: “He was lying on the ground and his mobile phone was still burning so I had to put the fire out.”
Note: The phone pictured above isn’t the suspected culprit.