Teen Dropped Charging iPhone In Bathtub, Dies By Electrocution

A 15-year-old schoolgirl died after her plugged-in iPhone accidentally fell into the water while she was taking bath in the Siberian industrial city of Bratsk, Russia, on Saturday.

Irina Rybnikova, a martial arts champion, was messaging her friends with her phone on charge while soaking in the bathtub. Suddenly, her phone slipped as her fingers were wet resulting in the young athlete being electrocuted.

The girl's body was found by her parents. Authorities called it a “tragic accident” and said she died on the spot from heart failure.

Rybnikova was a champion fighter in pankration and was recently selected to Russia's national team. A friend said she was “dreaming of becoming a world champion,” Mirror reported.

“She was an incredible person and my best friend. She wanted to be successful in every sport and we planned to move to another city to study. Everyone loved her, she was friendly, kind and very beautiful,” another close friend of Rybnikova said, Metro reported.

Her sister Tatiana said, “In August she became the godmother to my little daughter. My child adored her and called her ‘nanny’. And now she is not with us anymore. Our hearts are broken. It is so quiet and feels empty at home without her.”

Her sports federation issued a statement lamenting the death.

“A tragic accident has taken the life of our champion, friend, mate and student Irina Rybnikova, 15. She was a candidate for Master of Sports in pankration, our beloved girl. Rest in peace,” the statement said.

“Water is a good conductor for a current, this is why there was a short circuit when the phone fell into the water. If the phone had not been plugged in to 220 volts, the tragedy would not have happened,” Yury Agrafonov, the head of radio-electronic department of Irkutsk State University, said.

The incident comes to light a few days after a Malaysian teen was electrocuted to death while using his headphones on his plugged-in phone. Sixteen-year-old Mohammed Aidil Azzahar Zaharin went to sleep with his headphone while his phone was being charged.

He was found lying on the floor the following morning by his mother who left for work thinking he was fast asleep. However, she felt uneasy at work and decided to go back home and check on her son. When she reached home, she saw him lying in the same position. She contacted a nearby clinic who immediately dispatched a medical officer. The medic declared him dead.

"Checks showed no sign of bruises or injuries. However, there was bleeding in the boy's left ear. The medical officer later confirmed that the boy had died hours earlier,” District police Chief Deputy Superintendent Anuar Bakri Abdul Salam said.