A 23-year-old Chinese woman has allegedly died from being electrocuted when using her Apple iPhone 5 while it was being charged, according to a report from the South China Morning Post.
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The SCMP reports that Apple has released a brief statement that expresses the company's condolences and committing to investigate the situation.
Spokeswoman for the technology company said: "We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the ... family. We will fully investigate and co-operate with authorities in this matter.
According to mainland media reports, Ma Ailun, a 23-year-old flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, was picking up her iPhone 5 to answer a call while the battery was being charged when she was electrocuted and killed.
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Details on the incident are sketchy with conflicting reports suggesting the phone may not have been a different phone or even an iPhone bought at a counterfeit Apple store.
China Daily reports that police have confirmed Ma had died of electrocution, but have not concluded if her phone played a part in causing the incident.
Experts have noted that using any electrical device while it is charging has its risk. An expert in the report also cautioned that the exact circumstances of the incident are not clear, and it would not be suitable to jump to any conclusions at this stage.
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Although a report in Fortune says that "a cheap, third-party charger would seem to be ruled out by the report of Ma Ailun's family that she was using genuine Apple parts," the dangers of knockoff chargers are well-known, with many of those devices failing to meet standards for adequately separating electrical input and output.
At this stage in the investigation it is unknown if the Chinese authorities will hand over the charger to Apple for examination.
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