Mobile bursts, boy loses fingers

Eight-year-old Mayank Tiwari lost two of his fingers after a Nokia mobile battery exploded while he was charging the handset at his father’s shop in Bhopal on Wednesday, reports HT Correspondent.

Eight-year-old Mayank Tiwari lost two of his fingers after a Nokia mobile battery exploded while he was charging the handset at his father’s shop in Bhopal on Wednesday.

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The explosion took place barely two months after a 24-year-old suffered fatal injuries in his genitals after a mobile battery exploded in his trousers.

“As soon as he (Mayank) switched on the charger, the battery exploded. Four of his fingers were injured — two completely,” said his father Vinod Kumar Tiwari (34), a daily wage employee with the Central Excise Department.

Doctors are now trying to reconstruct two of his injured fingers. “The remains of his little and ring fingers had to be amputated. Two others that are deformed will be reconstructed soon,” said Dr Ashok Maske, head of the surgery department at
People’s Medical College, where Mayank was admitted.

The child suffered injuries in his abdomen and face too and it will take a couple of days for him to recover, the surgeon said.

Mayank’s father was shocked as Nokia officials had okayed the battery of his handset, testing it at a camp a year ago when the company had issued an advisory asking people to return their BL-5C batteries.

“The battery in my mobile was confirmed as safe by company officials at the camp. When I requested them to replace the battery, they said it was okay and would not explode,” said Tiwari. He is planning to move a court against the company to seek compensation for the damage meted out to his son.

Nokia officials in Madhya Pradesh refused to comment.