A welder in Gansu was killed when his mobile phone battery exploded, according to a mainland report, in what is believed to be the first fatality caused by such an explosion.
Xiao Jinpeng , 22, died on June 19 after the phone he was carrying in a chest pocket blew up while he was welding in a hot workshop, the Lanzhou Morning Post reported yesterday. Preliminary investigations found the battery in his phone exploded in the heat, breaking his ribs and piercing his heart.
The report quoted co-workers as saying that after they heard a loud noise, Xiao suddenly collapsed and blood covered the floor.
According to Jinta county work safety authorities, Xiao's death was regarded as a workplace fatality and his employer would pay his family more than 100,000 yuan in compensation, the report said.
The Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said the phone was a Motorola but the battery was not produced by the phone maker.
Motorola Shanghai spokesman Yang Boning said yesterday the company had sent staff to help with investigations.