Apple investigating after woman dies after being shocked by her iPhone

Don’t use your iPhone while it’s charging. That’s the warning from a Chinese woman after her younger sister died after reportedly being electrocuted by her charging iPhone 5.

According to China Daily, 23-year-old Ma Ailun died after being shocked by her cellphone when she tried to answer a call. Ma’s sister took to Sina Weibo to share the story, asking for people to warn their friends not to use iPhones while charging them, and explaining that the family had handed the phone over to the police as part of the investigation into the incident.

While counterfeit phones are a problem in China and iPhones are often bought in nearby countries and smuggled in to be sold on the grey market months ahead of their official release, Ma’s device wasn’t a knock off or purchased through alternative channels. According to her sister, the phone was bought at an official Apple store in December last year and was still under warranty. She said she hoped Apple could explain what happened, as Ma was also using the standard iPhone charger that came with the phone.

The tech giant released a statement yesterday offering condolences to the victim’s family, saying that it is “deeply saddened about the accident” and will “thoroughly investigate the accident and collaborate with the police investigation.” So far, police have confirmed that Ma died of electrocution, but have not said whether the phone was involved in her death.