Cell Phone Burns Dutch Woman's Face

Aug. 21, 2003
A Dutch woman who dropped her cell phone suffered serious burns after it burst into flames when she tried to make a call, police said Thursday.
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- A Dutch woman who dropped her cell phone suffered serious burns after it burst into flames when she tried to make a call, police said Thursday.

The woman, who wasn't identified, turned the Nokia phone on after it had fallen and held it up to her ear.

``She was treated on site by health workers for facial burns,'' police spokesman Eric Vermeulen said. ``I'm not a technical expert, but we assume it caught fire due to a short circuit.''

Reacting on Dutch television, a Nokia official said the fire was caused by the phone battery, which was not manufactured by Nokia.

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