PHIDIM: A man riding a motorcycle burst into flame when the smartphone he had in his pocket exploded, on Thursday.

The victim Buddha Raj Ingwa, the chairman of Kirant Yakthung Chumlung District Executive Committee, Panchthar, who is also one of the hoteliers at BP Marga of Phidim Bazaar was riding to the market for shopping when his DTC smartphone exploded near Ganatantra Chok.

According to a witness, Bharat Adhikari, the locals had rushed to douse the flame they saw, following a pop sound like that of a fire cracker.

It was his luck that Ingwa was out of danger. He said that he bought the phone after he heard comments on its new features such as high duration battery power conservation, torchlight facility and a port for charging other mobile devices.