Smartphone explodes, burns teenager's lap

A Swiss teenager suffered second and third degree burns when her smartphone apparently exploded in her pocket. Fanny Schlatter, 18, was injured when the Samsung Galaxy S3 allegedly blew up in her trouser pocket. She claims to have been left with no feeling in her right thigh and said she will be launching a criminal complaint against Samsung.

French language paper Le Matin reported that Ms Schlatter was working as an painting apprentice when she heard a large bang. She told the paper: ‘All of a sudden I heard the sound of an explosion – like a firecracker. 'Then I noticed a strange chemical smell and my work trousers began to catch fire.’ By the time Ms Schlatter’s boss, Stephane Kubler, had come to her assistance, the flames had reached her
 shoulders. She was rushed into the nearest bathroom where colleagues doused the flames before driving her to hospital. Ms Schlatter explained: ‘Luckily my hair was tied up and my sweater didn’t have time to catch fire.’ However, she added that her burns were severe enough to make her smell like a ‘burnt pig’. The burns have left Ms Schlatter with no feeling in her right thigh and the teenager has been signed off work until 15 August.

She now plans to file a legal complaint against the Korean phone maker. In a statement, a Samsung spokesperson told the MailOnline: 'Once we have gotten hold of the product in question, we will conduct a thorough examination to determine the exact cause of this incident. 'We would like to assure our customers that we have always employed strict quality control and safety standards to ensure a safe and pleasant user experience.' This is not the first time a Samsung Galaxy S3 battery has supposedly exploded.

In May this year, Reddit user Vizionx1208 posted pictures of his destroyed Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone, claiming he was 'awoken by a loud noise and a weird squeaking sound.' He states the phone was on the verge of setting alight and his bedroom had filled with smoke and had a 'pungent smell.' He was able to put out the smouldering phone by chucking a glass of water over it but the phone had already burnt his mattress cover and left a small burn on his finger. Last year, an Irish Samsung S3 owner claimed his handset burst into flames as he was driving his car.

However, it was later discovered, following tests by the Fire Investigations UK (FIUK) team, that the phone had been previously placed in the microwave to remove water damage and this may have been the cause of the fire. It isn't just the S3 model that has this supposed fault either.

In South Korea in 2011, the battery from a Samsung Galaxy Note allegedly exploded in a man's pocket as he walked along the street. The explosion caused second degree burns and a one-inch wound to his thigh. It was the second time that year a battery from the Galaxy Note was said to have exploded in South Korea. Elsewhere, a phone battery spontaneously caught fire in a man's back pocket at the Defcon hacking conference in the U.S in 2010, and in 2009, a man was killed when his exploding phone severed his neck artery.

Last month, a fire in a Peterborough house was thought to have been caused by an exploding phone battery after a handset was left on charge overnight. The fire crews did not release what make or model the battery came from but said damage was caused to the bedroom, where the phone was on charge, including the bed, furniture and serious smoke damage to the walls.