Briton electrocuted in bath while charging iPhone

The death of a British man when he was electrocuted while charging his iPhone in the bath, was accidental, a judicial probe has revealed.

Richard Bull, 32, was found in the bath by his wife Tanya on December 11 last year.

According to Coroner Sean Cummings, the death of Bull, which occurred when the iPhone fell into the water, was accidental.

"These seem like innocuous devices, but they can be as dangerous as a hairdryer in a bathroom. They should attach warnings. This was a tragic accident and I have no reason to believe at all that there was anything other than it being completely accidental," Cummings was quoted as saying to the Guardian.com on Friday.

Cummings said that he also intends to send a report to the phone's manufacturer, Apple, to warn about the potential dangers.

While the pos-tmortem examination reports revealed burns on Bull's right hand, the police noted that an extension lead was found running from the hallway into the bathroom.

"If you have got any appliance attached to the mains electricity circuit, you have to be aware there is a danger there. You're risking death," Sheila Merrill, the public health adviser to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, was quoted as saying to the BBC.

"Electricity and water don't mix, but particularly with phones, people don't probably always think about it. It's not advisable to use them while they're plugged in, particularly in a bathroom situation," Merrill added.

--IANS

rt/sm/vt