In a freak accident sure to terrify many, a teen in Malaysia reportedly died after he was electrocuted by the headphones he was wearing on Monday, December 10. The headphones were connected to his mobile phone, which was said to be charging.
The 16-year-old boy, a resident of Kampung Gaing Baru Pedas, has been identified as Mohd Aidi Azzhar Zahrin. He was found dead by his mother at around 12.45 pm local time.
District police chief Deputy Superintendent Anuar Bakri Abdul Salam explained that the boy's mother had seen him lying on the floor at around 7.45 am, but assumed that he was asleep. She then left for work.
"While at work, she felt uneasy and decided to return home to check on her son," Salam told the New Straits Times. "At home, she found him in the same position. She then tried to wake him up and as she touched him, the boy's body felt cold."
The 51-year-old mother then got in touch with a nearby clinic, which immediately sent a medical officer to examine the boy. "Checks showed no sign of bruises or injuries. However, there was bleeding in the boy's left ear," Salam said, adding that the boy is believed to have been wearing the headphones, while his phone was charging.
"The medical officer later confirmed that the boy had died hours earlier." he said. The body of the teen was then sent for postmortem at the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital and the report revealed the cause of death as electrocution.
Zahrin is said to be the fourth person to be killed in such an incident this year. In February, Luiza Pinheiro, 17, was found dead at the Brazil home after a "huge electric charge" travelled through her phone, causing her earphones to melt in her ears, reported NewsCorp.
In May, a woman in Tamil Nadu in India died of electrocution after she fell asleep while listening to music on her phone. The local police suspected it to be a case of short circuit. In another such incident, a 22-year-old man in India died of shock while listening to music from a charging mobile phone.
The electricity had been cut out, and when the power came back up, the man received an electric shock through his headphones and died.
