The monsoon transition period is still going strong in Malaysia and this brings us thunder and lightning almost every day. Since thunderstorms come with heavy rain and lightning, it’s important to stay safe during this period as untoward accidents might happen. Now, you may have heard about not using a landline when there are thunderstorms as it can be dangerous but it is also unsafe to use your charging mobile phone too!
According to Oriental Daily, a 26-year-old perfume shop assistant learnt this the hard way when the mobile phone she was using exploded while she was charging it. The incident occurred on October 23rd, during the afternoon. The woman was working in one of the shops at Wisma Ho Poh, Kuching. There was no mention of the make or model of the phone.
Before the explosion, the woman was charging her mobile phone and playing with it at the same time. It started raining and there was thunder and lightning outside. Unexpectedly, there was a crack of thunder and lightning suddenly struck, which caused the mobile phone to explode while she was holding it in her right hand.
The nearby shops heard the explosion and were shocked at the sound. They investigated and discovered that it was caused by the victim’s charging mobile phone. They immediately notified emergency services for help and an ambulance was dispatched to the location.
Luckily, the woman suffered only minor injuries, and she was sent to Sarawak General Hospital for treatment. It Still Works reports that while we know corded phones are dangerous to use during a storm, mobile phones that are plugged into a charger also carry the same danger as it provides a conductive path for the lightning bolt to follow from the location it originally strikes to your body.
OMG, that’s really scary! Don’t use your phone while charging especially when there’s a storm outside!
Also read: M’sian Shares How Phone Exploded When Charging Overnight, Curtain & Pillow Caught On Fire