WARNING! Please DO NOT Sleep Right Next To Your Charging Phone

More often than not, one charges his or her phone at night, before bed time. This happens due to several reasons —convenience, one forgot to unplug it before going to bed, etc. But this practice is risky.

This risk is something one should not take lightly. What may seem a trivial act may result into something tragic. Just like what happened to this girl in Bastbone, Kazakhstan.

Alua Asetkyzy Abzalbek died after her charging phone exploded on her while she was soundly asleep at home. According to the report of Daily Mail, the 14-year-old went to bed while listening to music while her phone was charging.

The phone’s battery reportedly exploded close to her head which resulted into severe head injuries that caused her death. The forensic experts who investigated the case reportedly found out that mobile phone overheated while plugged in the socket and eventually exploded. The manufacturer of the exploded phone was not disclosed.

Here's a photo of the girl uploaded by The Crest Nigeria in Twittter.

Why do mobile phones explode in the first place? What causes it?

The possible cause of this supposed rare occurrence was explicitly explained by How-To-Geek. The site explained that when a Li-ion battery explodes, it actually underwent a process called thermal runaway.

Describing the process, the news outlet clarified that Li-ion cells make up Lithium-ion batteries, and each of these cells has a peak temperature. When cells reach that critical temperature, it goes into exothermic breakdown, which means that the cell starts to release a lot of heat, kicking off the process of thermal runaway. This process will also affect the neighboring cells and eventually, they, too, will hit their critical temperatures.

The mobile phone’s battery could catch a fire or create minor explosions depending on the speed of the above-mentioned process. Several factors can contribute to a cell reaching its peak — over charging, damage, poor manufacturing or external heat. Hence, one should never leave their phones inside the car or in any places with extreme temperatures. The users are also advised to use certified charging equipment. Most of all, one should never leave their phones connected to a charging plug overnight.

Other than the risk of explosion due to overheating, overcharging the phone may also decrease its battery’s life span. According to Business Insider, if the phone is often left charging overnight, it could potentially increase the aging process of lithium-ion batteries of the phone.

Experts advise to charge the phone in the morning. In order to keep the phone’s battery properly functioning, it’s a no-no to leave it charging at 100% for a long time.