Apple iPhone 5 reportedly kills Chinese woman

Apple’s iPhone 5 is said to have electrocuted a 23-year-old woman to death this weekend, according to a number of reports out of China.

Though details are not entirely clear, Xinhua explains that the Chinese woman, Ma Ailun, answered a call on her iPhone while the handset was charging, and was then electrocuted by her smartphone. Local police have since confirmed that the woman died of electrocution, but have not highlighted Apple’s iPhone as the cause of the incident.

In a post to Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, Ma Ailun’s sister said:     hope that Apple can give us an explanation. I also hope that all of you will refrain from using your mobile devices while charging.

Apple is also conducting its own investigation into the death of Ma Ailun, and said in a statement that it was “deeply sorry for the unfortunate accident.”

In the past, iDevices have behaved in curious ways when charging. Back in 2011, for example, a number of iPhone 4 handsets started spontaneously combusting while plugged into wall sockets, and certain reports claimed that the fourth-generation smartphone had even exploded in owners’ hands.

We’ll keep you updated with further information concerning this story as we receive it.

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