Schoolgirl dies after charging phone explodes as she listened to music in bed

A 14-year-old schoolgirl has died after her charging smartphone exploded on her pillow as she slept.

Alua Asetkyzy Abzalbek went to bed listening to music at her village home in Bastobe, Kazakhstan.

Next morning she was tragically found dead with the phone’s battery having burst into flames next to her head.

Her device had been plugged in to a power socket, said police.

She is believed to have suffered severe head injuries and died on the spot during the explosion.

When paramedics were called by her devastated relatives they said she had already died.

Forensic experts later confirmed that the mobile exploded in the early morning after overheating as it charged and this was the cause of death, said local reports.

Her death was described as a "tragic accident".

The brand of smartphone was not disclosed.

Alua’s distraught best friend Ayazhan Dolasheva, 15, posted: “I still cannot believe it.”

She wrote: “You were the best.

“We have been together since childhood. It is so hard for me without you. I miss you so much.

“You have left me forever.”