spadez
01-06-2007, 01:00 PM
Seven-year-old on holiday in Thailand is electrocuted trying to unplug his handheld while its battery was charging.
A vacationing British child was found dead in his hotel room in the Sunset Beach Hotel in Phuket, Thailand, the Mirror reported today. Connor O'Keefe, a 7-year-old boy from Southwark, London, is believed to have been electrocuted when he unplugged his Game Boy from the power socket as its battery charged.
The child's body was found slumped on the floor of his parent's hotel room by his mother, Kathleen Curry. She said that Connor understood the dangers of mixing electricity and water, and insisted he would not have plugged the handheld in while still wet. The family reportedly bought the charger in Thailand.
"We're all devastated," Curry said. "My son was only unplugging his Game Boy--he does it all the time at home. There should be some kind of warning about the different electrical currents you get abroad because this would not have happened in England."
In Thailand, most electrical plugs have two prongs, compared to those in the UK which have three, with an added "earth" prong. British plugs are unusual in that they also contain a fuse for added safety.
The resort is in one of the areas affected by the devastating Boxing Day tsunami two years ago, but has since been repaired and reopened to the public. Police called the death an accident, and insisted the Sunset Beach Hotel was not to blame.
Nintendo, manufacturer of the handheld, made the following comment on the tragedy: "Nintendo wishes to offer its sincere condolences to the family of Connor O' Keefe. Details of the accident are currently unclear so we are unable to make any further comment at this stage."
A vacationing British child was found dead in his hotel room in the Sunset Beach Hotel in Phuket, Thailand, the Mirror reported today. Connor O'Keefe, a 7-year-old boy from Southwark, London, is believed to have been electrocuted when he unplugged his Game Boy from the power socket as its battery charged.
The child's body was found slumped on the floor of his parent's hotel room by his mother, Kathleen Curry. She said that Connor understood the dangers of mixing electricity and water, and insisted he would not have plugged the handheld in while still wet. The family reportedly bought the charger in Thailand.
"We're all devastated," Curry said. "My son was only unplugging his Game Boy--he does it all the time at home. There should be some kind of warning about the different electrical currents you get abroad because this would not have happened in England."
In Thailand, most electrical plugs have two prongs, compared to those in the UK which have three, with an added "earth" prong. British plugs are unusual in that they also contain a fuse for added safety.
The resort is in one of the areas affected by the devastating Boxing Day tsunami two years ago, but has since been repaired and reopened to the public. Police called the death an accident, and insisted the Sunset Beach Hotel was not to blame.
Nintendo, manufacturer of the handheld, made the following comment on the tragedy: "Nintendo wishes to offer its sincere condolences to the family of Connor O' Keefe. Details of the accident are currently unclear so we are unable to make any further comment at this stage."