If allegations surrounding an electrocution victim in China last week prove true, then Apple’s flagship mobile device, the iPhone 5, could have lethal flaws.

Uproar surrounding Apple’s beloved phone erupted last Thursday when Xinhuanet, a Chinese news outlet, reported that a young woman had suffered a deadly electric shock when trying to answer her cellphone. According to Xinhuanet, the victim was Ma Ailun, a 23-year old woman who, until her death, had served as a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines. Police claimed that Ma was electrocuted when she answered answered an incoming call on a charging iPhone 5. The iPhone had been purchased at an Apple store in December, and Ma was still using the device’s original charger, not a third-party device.

On Monday, Reuters broke the news that Apple would be launching their own investigation into the allegations. The California company offered up a brief statement in an email.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the Ma family,” a Beijing-based Apple spokesperson said. “We will fully investigate and cooperate with authorities in this matter.”Apple would not comment further on their reactions to the tragedy, nor would it offer much indication as to what its investigation would entail. Bizarrely, this event bears a strange resemblance to an accident that befell a foreign user of the Samsung Galaxy S3 last week. In that particular story, a Swiss teenage claimed that her cellphone had exploded in her pocket, causing third-degree burns. Samsung has vowed their own investigation.
So what could have caused the sudden electric shock, and should other users of the iPhone 5 be worried. According to Daniel Johnson, a professional engineer interviewed by ABC News following Apple’s promise to investigate. Johnson specializes in cases like this one–where stray voltage plays a role in catastrophic electrocution–and he believes that the event may have just been a freak accident.

“There are a lot of things that could have caused this,” Johnson said. “Many seem unlikely, but you never know– electricity can do strange things.”

In other words, the cause of Ma Ailun could simply be a product of a faulty phone or charger, rather than the result of a wider-spread problem with all iPhone 5s. After all, if the problem were universal, this likely would not have been the first incident. Furthermore, since most phone chargers don’t conduct a great deal of voltage, an electrocution like this one would almost have to be the result of an outlier or a defective product.

Either way, the incident is just another piece of what has been a rough week for Apple. Last Wednesday, the company was found guilty by the United States Department of Justice for their involvement in a price-fixing conspiracy involving e-books.