Family claims iPhone killed daughter

The relatives of a 23-year-old woman from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have claimed that the woman died after being electrocuted while using her iPhone.

The older sister of victim Ma Ailun said Saturday on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, that Ma was electrocuted while trying to answer a call on her iPhone while the device was charging.

"(I) hope that Apple Inc. can give us an explanation. I also hope that all of you will refrain from using your mobile devices while charging," her post reads.

The post has gone viral online, with many forwarding the message and warning others of the dangers of using mobile devices while they are being charged.

Ma's father, Ma Guanghui, confirmed that his daughter was electrocuted, adding that her body showed signs of electrocution.

Ma, a resident of Xinjiang's city of Changji, was previously employed as a flight attendant at China Southern Airlines, although she recently quit her job.

Local police confirmed that Ma did die of electrocution, but they have yet to verify if her phone was involved in the incident.

Ma's sister said via Sina Weibo that she hopes to seek justice from Apple.

Apple said on Sunday in a statement that the company felt "deeply sorry for the unfortunate accident" and expressed condolence to the victim and her family.

The company would have a thorough probe into the case, and would be in full cooperation with investigations, the statement said.

Local police said they are continuing to investigate the case.