Eight-year-old Kerala girl dies as smartphone explodes in her hand; Xiaomi reacts
An eight-year-old girl from Kerala’s Thrissur lost her life when the smartphone on which she was watching videos exploded. The incident occurred at around 10:30 PM on Monday. According to media reports, the girl was a class 3 student and daughter of a former member of Pazhayannur block panchayat Ashok Kumar and Soumya. She was watching videos when the smartphone exploded in front of her face.
The local police have registered a case and investigating the matter. While there is no official confirmation on the make and model of the smartphone, but some report suggests the smartphone that was involved in the accident could be a Redmi Note 5 Pro.
The suspected mobile phone, Redmi Note 5 Pro, is a budget smartphone that comes with a 4000mAh lithium-ion polymer battery. Lithium batteries are susceptible to fire as Lithium itself is a highly flammable material.
In a blog post, ACT Emergency Services Agency said, “Lithium-ion batteries are energy-dense and contain electrolytes that are highly flammable. There are several situations that can lead to lithium-ion batteries catching fire, including: Overcharging or use of non-compliant charging equipment. Overheating or exposure to heat or extreme temperatures.”
The initial cause for the explosion is said to be overheating of the battery. As of now, there’s very little information about the condition of the old Redmi Note 5 Pro, as reported by News18.
What is Xiaomi India saying on the matter?
Reacting to the statement, Xiaomi India said that it is investigating the matter and that it will provide all the support required by the authorities.
“At Xiaomi India, customer safety is of utmost importance and we take such matters extremely seriously. We stand with the family in this time of difficulty and hope to support them in any way possible. The matter is currently being investigated. We will work with the authorities to determine the actual cause of the incident and will support them in any required manner,” a Xiaomi India spokesperson told Techlusive.
Recent Incidents
It is worth noting that this is not an isolated incident where the battery of a smartphone has exploded due to overheating. In the past many such incidents have been reported where smartphone explosion has caused grievous injuries to users. One such incident was reported from Uttar Pradesh Amroha where a man sustained injury to his finger when his smartphone exploded while he was on a call. The man had purchased the smartphone just over four months before the incident.
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