Mobile phone's battery blast kills toddler playing in Chhattisgarh village

RAIPUR: A one-year-old child died after a discarded mobile phone battery allegedly exploded while he was playing outside his house in Chhattisgarh’s Surajpur district on Sunday. The boy was rushed to a hospital and died during treatment on Tuesday.

The incident was reported from Brahmpur village in Premnagar region, where the child, son of one Mahendra Singh Netam, sustained severe burn injuries after the damaged battery exploded.

According to police and family members, the toddler was playing outside the house with his siblings and other village children when some of them brought an old mobile battery found nearby.

The blast severely burnt the child’s face, and other parts of body.

Family members rushed him to Premnagar hospital, from where he was referred to district hospital and later shifted to Ambikapur Medical College Hospital due to his deteriorating condition.

Doctors tried to stabilise the child, but he succumbed during treatment around 4am on Tuesday.

The boy’s father told police he did not know where the battery had come from and suspected the children may have picked it up while playing.

Officials suspect the battery may have exploded after its terminals were accidentally short-circuited while the children were handling it.