Exploding Cell Phone Kills Man   7/7/2007 - 1,775 views, 2 Comments

The victim, Xiao Jinpeng, was a metal welder at the Yingpan Iron Ore Dressing Plant in the Chinese province of Gansu.

Motorola denies any culpability, and in the national paper, the Xinhua News Agency, has suggested that Jinpeng must have had an after-market battery in the Motorola mobile.

Added a Motorola spokesperson, “We are aware of an accident that occurred in Gansu at a welding operation. Up to now, preliminary evidence suggests it is highly unlikely that a cell phone caused this accident. We are working with the Chinese authorities to determine and investigate the root cause.”

This is by no means the first time that a cell phone fire or explosion has been implicated in injuring someone. Earlier this year a California man was seriously injured when his Nokia cell phone burst into flames in his pocket, and others have had similar experiences.

In each instance, the phone manufacturer always blames third-party batteries.

There’s a lesson to be learned here, and perhaps it is to not use third-party batteries. Or perhaps it is to not carry your cell phone in your pocket. Or perhaps it is something that we have not yet quite divined.