Teen Tragically Electrocuted by Phone Charger in Surin

[snoop1130]

Picture courtesy of My North Bay Now

 

A community in Sikhoraphum district, Surin, is mourning the loss of a 15-year-old girl electrocuted by her phone charger while she slept. The incident occurred on March 7, with police reporting burn marks from the charger cord on her body.

 

Alerted by headman Supee Sombat, Sergeant Den Wanyang and the Pak Mai patrol discovered the tragedy at 5.30am. An autopsy conducted with Sikhoraphum Hospital doctors is underway to determine the exact cause.

 

Images from the scene showed an extension cord with a USB Type C cable, plugged in without an adapter—highlighted as a potential hazard by Facebook user Chang Tu MDS2Sound Surin. He warned that short circuits in USB chargers can result from malfunctions in the high-voltage system, allowing electricity to ground through the USB cable.

 

 

The incident has sparked widespread discussion on electrical safety, with advice against using devices while charging. Parents are urged to be vigilant, as electric shocks can lead to bleeding, swelling, and severe muscle contractions.

 

Experts emphasize the importance of proper home safety systems to prevent such tragedies. High-voltage currents can damage tissues, leading to bleeding, while severe shocks can cause muscle tears. Moreover, burns from electrical currents can result in blistering.

 

Communities are rallying to support the bereaved family, with Sergeant Wanyang extending condolences and hoping this serves as a crucial reminder for electrical safety precautions, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-03-07

 

 

[Captor]

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Picture courtesy of My North Bay Now

 

A community in Sikhoraphum district, Surin, is mourning the loss of a 15-year-old girl electrocuted by her phone charger while she slept. The incident occurred on March 7, with police reporting burn marks from the charger cord on her body.

 

Alerted by headman Supee Sombat, Sergeant Den Wanyang and the Pak Mai patrol discovered the tragedy at 5.30am. An autopsy conducted with Sikhoraphum Hospital doctors is underway to determine the exact cause.

 

Images from the scene showed an extension cord with a USB Type C cable, plugged in without an adapter—highlighted as a potential hazard by Facebook user Chang Tu MDS2Sound Surin. He warned that short circuits in USB chargers can result from malfunctions in the high-voltage system, allowing electricity to ground through the USB cable.

 

 

The incident has sparked widespread discussion on electrical safety, with advice against using devices while charging. Parents are urged to be vigilant, as electric shocks can lead to bleeding, swelling, and severe muscle contractions.

 

Experts emphasize the importance of proper home safety systems to prevent such tragedies. High-voltage currents can damage tissues, leading to bleeding, while severe shocks can cause muscle tears. Moreover, burns from electrical currents can result in blistering.

 

Communities are rallying to support the bereaved family, with Sergeant Wanyang extending condolences and hoping this serves as a crucial reminder for electrical safety precautions, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-03-07

 

 

The picture is not showing an USB-C cable.

[Ralf001]

6 minutes ago, Captor said:

The picture is not showing an USB-C cable.

 

usb-c on one end...usb-a on the other.

[Captor]

2 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

usb-c on one end...usb-a on the other.

No, it does not look like an usb-c.

[Ralf001]

Just now, Captor said:

No, it does not look like an usb-c.

so what is it then ?

[Captor]

14 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

so what is it then ?

It looks like a micro-USB B.

It is definitely not an USB-C. I attach a picture of a USB-C.

[Captor]

I wonder why this happen over and over again in Thailand? They are charging the phones and then falling to sleep while still charging? And then maybe they roll over the phone while sleeping?

And then the short circuit occurs when "breaking" the USB? But there is no high voltage on that end of the USB I think. Or is it? But they say it is not the voltage that kills but the Ampere?

Maybe someone with electricity knowledge can lighten up the issue?

[Nick Carter icp]

6 minutes ago, Captor said:

I wonder why this happen over and over again in Thailand? They are charging the phones and then falling to sleep while still charging? And then maybe they roll over the phone while sleeping?

And then the short circuit occurs when "breaking" the USB? But there is no high voltage on that end of the USB I think. Or is it? But they say it is not the voltage that kills but the Ampere?

Maybe someone with electricity knowledge can lighten up the issue?

 

   Cheap Chinese made chargers ?

[NE1]

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Images from the scene showed an extension cord with a USB Type C cable, plugged in without an adapter

 

Does that mean the USB A was plugged directly into the mains and the USB C into the phone ?

[johng]

41 minutes ago, NE1 said:

 

Does that mean the USB A was plugged directly into the mains and the USB C into the phone ?

 

When  the mostly cheapo Chinese chargers go wrong  yes,

 high voltage does out instead of 5v DC   I believe this is due to the mini transformer windings  being shoddy  the  insulation breaks down and allows the high voltage straight through !

[0ffshore360]

Is there an alternative source to Made in China  chargers?

And in this case perhaps the usb cord was plugged into a 220v multi-board with usb ports ?

 

[impulse]

Though you're a lot more likely to fry your phone than electrocute yourself, I always tested my USB chargers and adapters with one of these:

 

 

This is a Lazada ad (85 baht), but they're all over online.  (Very hard to find in bricks and mortar shops, though).  There's a wide variety with different price points.  I like the ones that record mA-hrs like this one so I can see how much it's taking to charge up the batteries over time.  And some cables are wienie and charge up much slower.  Some only show volts and amps.  My favorite was the Uni-T brand, but that's just because I have always had good luck with their multimeters in China and Thailand. 

 

TBH, I don't know if these will test for a direct short to the mains, since they're designed to test from one leg to another.  Maybe someone in the know can chime in?

 

 

 

 

[Captor]

14 hours ago, johng said:

 

When  the mostly cheapo Chinese chargers go wrong  yes,

 high voltage does out instead of 5v DC   I believe this is due to the mini transformer windings  being shoddy  the  insulation breaks down and allows the high voltage straight through !

That sounds reasonable.

[Captor]

13 hours ago, impulse said:

Though you're a lot more likely to fry your phone than electrocute yourself, I always tested my USB chargers and adapters with one of these:

 

 

This is a Lazada ad (85 baht), but they're all over online.  (Very hard to find in bricks and mortar shops, though).  There's a wide variety with different price points.  I like the ones that record mA-hrs like this one so I can see how much it's taking to charge up the batteries over time.  And some cables are wienie and charge up much slower.  Some only show volts and amps.  My favorite was the Uni-T brand, but that's just because I have always had good luck with their multimeters in China and Thailand. 

 

TBH, I don't know if these will test for a direct short to the mains, since they're designed to test from one leg to another.  Maybe someone in the know can chime in?

 

 

 

 

I have never seen one of this before. I will order one. 

[Captor]

15 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Cheap Chinese made chargers ?

Maybe that.

[Captor]

14 hours ago, 0ffshore360 said:

Is there an alternative source to Made in China  chargers?

And in this case perhaps the usb cord was plugged into a 220v multi-board with usb ports ?

 

That sounds strange...