Exploding cell phone may have killed South Korean man

Seoul (South Korea) – An exploding mobile phone may have killed a South Korean man working at a quarry south of Seoul. The man – who is only currently identified by his family name of “Suh” – was found Wednesday morning with a melted mobile phone and battery in his shirt pocket. Police and doctors believe the battery probably exploded causing massive blunt force trauma to the chest cavity.

The phone was made by LG Electronics and company officials have anonymously told the Associated Press that such an explosion is “virtually impossible”. Lithium ion batteries, like the ones typically used in mobile phone and notebook computers, have been known to “explode”, but they are usually of the slow burn type rather than a huge Hollywood type explosion. Also we find it unlike that a small mobile phone battery would have enough explosive power to kill a man.

Police have said that the man’s ribs and spine were broken. Of course, they don’t know yet if the broken bones came before (as in damage coming from a fall), during or after the phone exploding.

Source - AP via International Herald Tribune.