A young man in India was seriously injured after a mobile phone battery exploded in his mouth inside a mobile phone shop. According to reports, he was examining a lithium-ion battery at a service counter when he placed it in his mouth and bit down on it.

The pressure is believed to have punctured the battery’s casing, triggering a sudden chemical reaction that caused an explosion with flames and sparks. Witnesses and shop staff immediately rushed to assist him following the blast.

He was transported to a hospital for treatment of burn injuries to his face and mouth. Authorities and safety experts have reiterated that lithium-ion batteries can be extremely dangerous if damaged, as they contain volatile materials that can ignite or explode when compromised.