The Madanapalle rural police said that the two children; aged 8 and 10, bought a swollen battery after the latter was assigned project work by his teacher.
Two brothers were injured in Andhra Pradesh on Friday night after a swollen battery exploded while they were working on a science project at their residence. The incident took place in Kurabalakota village under Madanapalle mandal.
The Madanapalle rural police said that the two children; aged 8 and 10, bought a swollen battery after the latter was assigned project work by his teacher.
As they attempted to connect the battery to a motor, it reportedly exploded, leaving the younger child's fingers damaged. The elder boy suffered eye injuries and both were rushed first to a government hospital in Madanapalle and later referred to the Sri Venkateswara Ramnarain Ruia Government General Hospital in Tirupati in the early hours of Saturday. While the younger boy had to have his fingers wrapped in bandage after treatment, the elder boy had to undergo a minor surgery after his eyes were injured in the mishap.
“The incident occurred as the battery was swollen and prone to explosion. Such project works must be done by children under supervision of teachers and parents. We will inquire about this with the school authorities,” a police officer was quoted as saying.
The police also visited the house where the mishap took place and took stock of the incident. The boys are now said to be stable and out of danger.
In July last year, a cell phone exploded in the hands of an eight-year-old, almost severing three of his fingers and leaving with severe burns on his chest. The incident took place at RS Pendekal in Tuggali mandal in Kurnool district.
V Jagan Achari, a Class 3 student of a private school, was playing games on a China-made phone that was left for charging by one of his parents. At the time, the police had said that the phone had heated up and then exploded.
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