Chinese netizens question flight attendant's death due to charging phone
Staff Reporter 2013-07-14 15:47
Ma Ailen is reported to have died after receiving an electric shock from her charging phone. (Internet Photo)
A 23-year-old woman has died after receiving an electric shock from her mobile phone as she was charging and talking with it at the same time. Authorities confirmed that the woman's death was related to an electric shock on July 11 but said that further investigation is required, reports the China Internet Information Center, a state-run web portal.
Internet users have taken to Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, to both question the incident and warn that people should never talk on a mobile phone while it is being charged. The article regarding the death of Ma Ailen, a flight attendant for China Southern Airlines, has been reposted online over 3,000 times.
Ma was purportedly using an iPhone 5 when she died, with one netizen, who claimed to be Ma's sister, posting on Weibo that the mobile phone was bought last December and has since been given to the police for investigation.
However, others are suspicious of the reports, questioning whether the electricity generated while a phone is on charge is enough to kill a person.
An investigation is currently ongoing to determine the cause of death.
