Man Dies After Exploding Cell Phone Found Burned Into His Chest

A bizarre accident has left local officials questioning the safety of some cell phones, after a South Korean man died when his mobile device exploded without warning in North Chungcheong Province, about 100 kilometres southeast of Seoul on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old was working in a stone quarry when colleagues came across his body. He was suffering from burns to his chest, a fractured rib and internal bleeding and was pronounced dead in hospital. Doctors immediately began searching for the cause of the trauma and quickly discovered the evidence. His exploded cell phone (top left) had burned itself into the victim’s torso and was still there when physicians examined him.

“When he was admitted into the emergency room, the melted mobile phone was stuck to the left side of his shirt,” explains Kim Hoon of Chungbuk National University Hospital. “I cannot think of any other cause of his death other than his mobile phone exploding.”

Officials believe a faulty battery may be to blame for the incident but can’t account for exactly why it exploded. Kwon Young-sup was the first person to find the victim. “He was lying on the ground and his mobile phone was still burning so I had to put the fire out,” he told a local TV network.

So do you have to worry about your own handset? Likely not. Manufacturer LG confirms the kind of phone and battery the man was using is sold only in South Korea. They’re investigating what happened.