2 hurt by exploding Nokias

2003-10-08 20:34

Amsterdam - Nokia is to investigate why two of its cellular telephones spontaneously caught fire and injured their users in the Netherlands, the company said on Wednesday.

The Dutch consumer board demanded an investigation after a woman's face was burned and a boy was injured in the leg. "This is a worrying situation and we demand that Nokia initiate a thorough investigation soon to find out how this happened," it said in a statement.

Previous cases

Sylvie Nooijens, of Nokia's Dutch public relations firm, said the company will look into possible technical faults in the batteries. In previous cases outside of the Netherlands, the cause was traced to overheating of non-Nokia batteries.

But the consumer board said the latest incident last weekend involved a Nokia battery. The model 7210 Nokia telephone, apparently with original parts, caught fire in a teenage boy's pocket, injuring his leg and burning a hole in his pants.

In August, a woman in Amsterdam dropped her mobile telephone and suffered serious burns when she turned it back on and it burst into flames. That battery was not made by Nokia.

On Wednesday, Nokia also re-circulated a statement dating back to February warning consumers against using batteries from other manufacturers because they could damage the "batteries and the phone." It said its products meet stringent safety regulations.

- AP