A village chief was fatally electrocuted at his Phnom Penh home when an iPhone charging on his chest exploded as he slept, an official said on Monday.
Kim Pov, 46, the chief of Banteay village in Dangkao district’s Prey Sar commune, was found dead by his daughter after she returned home from work at about 4 p.m. on Sunday, according to commune police chief Sum Sary.
The iPhone 5 and a third-party charger were scorched and ruptured, and the village chief’s chest was badly burned, leading police to conclude that he was electrocuted, Mr. Sary said.
“We found that the charger had exploded, sending electricity through the telephone and shocking him to death,” he said.
Mr. Sary said the poor-quality charger did not have a brand name or logo. He also said it was possible that when the electricity came back on after a blackout, a surge of power rushed through the charger.
“Please pay attention and be careful while charging,” he said. “Please don’t speak on the phone or play with your electronic device while charging the battery,” he said.
