Chinese girl suffers burns after Samsung Galaxy Note 4 explodes: Samsung says phone battery not authorised

Update (Mar 15, 4.30pm):

Samsung Electronics has issued a statement regarding the incident.

"Samsung Electronics has been informed of this case and we are deeply concerned about the injured girl.

"After a preliminary analysis, we have determined the battery used in this case was not a Samsung authorized battery.

"At present, we are trying to follow up with the customer to resolve the matter.

"We wish to remind consumers to always purchase original Samsung products and accessories from authorised retailers."

Original article:

A 5-year-old girl was severely burnt after a charging Samsung Galaxy Note 4 exploded next to her while she was asleep.

The girl’s father, Feng Lingling, was woken at 4am last Thursday (Mar 9) by the sound of an explosion in the family’s bedroom, Guizhou City News reported via Sina.

He heard his daughter wailing in pain and could smell something charred.

When he switched on the bedroom light, he was horrified to find that his phone, which he had left to charge overnight next to where his daughter was sleeping, had exploded.

His daughter had suffered burns to her face and hands, while Lingling’s hair was singed.

Lingling and his wife immediately rushed their daughter to the hospital. Due to the severity of her injuries, the daughter was unable to talk or eat, or even sleep.

Lingling said he bought the phone from a local electronics chain store. A Chinese reporter visited the store, and the store owner said the phone was a genuine Samsung phone.

The local supervision authority also confirmed that the store is an authorised Samsung distributor.

The electronics chain is reported to have paid Lingling’s family 10,000RMB to aid in medical costs. They have also contacted Samsung, which is currently investigating the incident.

According to Guizhou City News, a Samsung representative visited Lingling’s house and said the most likely cause of the explosion was a fake battery.

However, Lingling said that he had never changed the battery since he bought the phone. It was also reported that his phone was still under warranty.

Last September, Samsung conducted a worldwide recall of its Galaxy Note 7 phones after several incidents where the phones caught fire.