E-Paper
iPhone 17 Pro found working after being buried in mud for 3 days in typhoon-hit Philippines
A Reddit user says their iPhone 17 Pro survived being buried in mud for three days after Typhoon Kalmegi destroyed their home in the Philippines.
A Reddit user’s post about their iPhone 17 Pro surviving a devastating typhoon and being buried in mud for three days has gone viral, with many praising Apple's engineering.
In the post, the user said their city in the Philippines was struck by Typhoon Kalmegi, which destroyed their home and left them struggling to survive. The person fell into rising floodwaters while trying to escape onto their roof. “I had to go on top of the roof to keep from drowning but slipped and fell into the flowing waters,” they wrote.
The user said they clung to debris for nearly 15 minutes before managing to climb to safety. During the chaos, they lost grip of their iPhone 17 Pro, which was swept away in the muddy waters. “Before I slipped, I was holding on to my phone, and that’s when it fell,” the post read.
The Redditor said that days later, once floodwaters receded and they recovered from injuries, they went back to the site of their destroyed home. To their astonishment, they found the phone half-buried in mud. “After 3 days this brick of a phone being in mud. I found it. I just had to charge it, and it turned on right away. No scratches, no issues whatsoever,” they wrote, sharing a photo of the mud-caked device next to a powered-on screen.
(Also Read: Navya Nanda chats with Tim Cook at Apple Park ahead of iPhone 17 launch)
Social media reactions
The post, titled “I almost drowned and died from a flash food. My whole house was destroyed and everything in it. my phone survived being in mud for 3 days.” quickly gained traction, with users expressing awe at the device’s durability.
“Amazing about your phone and congratulations for being alive also!” one user wrote. “It is incredible how far mobile phones have come in terms of durability. We have very much assumed it and take it for granted, but it is truly amazing that an electronic device, with how fragile its components really are to weather situations and shocks, can withstand all this,” commented another.
“Power to the great iPhone 17 pro! What a great phone and at least you don’t have to worry about replacing it while try to rebuild your life together,” wrote a third user.
“Pretty amazing about your phone! It’s awesome that both you and your phone survived this. Quite a statement about how tough both you and your phone are!” said another.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
