A woman in China was allegedly electrocuted to death after using an iPhone 5 while the device was charging.
According to media reports, the family of the Chinese woman who was electrocuted claim that the iPhone 5 was to blame for delivering the deadly electrical shock.
The alleged victim was 23-year-old Chinese woman Ma Ailun. Over the weekend, her older sister took to China's social network Sina Weibo to demand a response from Apple and to warn people of the dangers of using their phones while charging them.
South China Morning Post warns that experts said that any electrical device poses a risk, regardless of whether it's an electrical shaver or a phone. One of the experts said that it's too early to for now whether Apple was to blame for a defective iPhone, as the exact circumstances of the unfortunate incident were not yet clear.
Apple reportedly issued a statement pledging to look into the matter, Sina Tech further reported. The iPhone maker reportedly expressed its condolences to Ma's family and promised to cooperate with authorities over the incident.
According to yet another report from China Daily, local police confirmed the cause of death, but have not concluded whether the iPhone electrocuted Ma. China is well-known for having Apple products available for purchase on the grey market. The iPhone 5, for instance, became available in the country less than a week after Apple launched the product. By that time, counterfeit iPhone 5 models were already available too.
Ma's sister further noted on Sina Weibo that Ma had purchased her iPhone last December and the device is still under warranty. The alleged victim's family handed the phone over to authorities for investigation.
The victim was supposed to get married on Aug. 18, her sister further noted on the popular social network. Other reports in the Chinese media mention that Ma lived in Xinjiang, a province in northwestern China. The victim had recently quit her job as a flight attendant at China Southern Airlines, likely to focus on her impending marriage.
Ma's family blames Apple for the woman's untimely death. While various reports of defective iPhones made the news over the years, none of them was so tragic. Apple has yet to officially comment on the incident. The company will likely issue a formal statement once it completes its investigation into the incident.
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