A Thai man addicted to playing on his phone was found dead after being electrocuted while using the handset and charging it at the same time.

Thirawat Khuensungnoen, 22, was laying on his mattress with his smartphone in his left hand while it was plugged into the mains.

The young man was supposed to meet his mother on Monday (27/05) evening but she became concerned when he did not arrive at the market in Nakhon Ratchasima, northeastern Thailand.

Worried mum Duangdeun tried calling her son then went to his apartment where there was no reply after she knocked on the door several times.

Duangdeun forced the door open and was was horrified to find Thirawat’s body on the floor. He was holding an extension cable in his left hand, with the black smartphone plugged in with a USB charger, and the mains cable was trailing across his body.

His right index finger - used for swiping the screen - had been burned and the end had fallen off.

Duangdeun then pulled out the wire before reporting the incident to the police.

She said: “It was unusual for him not to arrive at the the vegetable shop to help us work. I was worried if he was sick or something, so I thought I should check on him.

“I saw the lights in his room was on, I was sure he was there but he didn’t open the door. So, I had to break in and saw him lying with the wire cable on his body.

“At that moment, I didn’t know that he was already dead until I got closer.

''My son was addicted to playing on his phone. He used it too much but he did not listen to me when I told him to stop.''

Investigators from Pakchong police station and officers from Sawang rescue foundation arrived and began examining the body.

They believed that Thirawat had been dead for at least three to five hours from being electrocuted.

One of the lad's fingers was burned from where he was holding the phone.

Liutenant Colonel Phanom Singhasettakit said they believed he was electrocuted due to charging his phone while also using it.

He said that Thirawat's mother said he often played games on his phone.

He said: ''From the initial examination of the scene we believe the young victim was electrocuted. He was holding his phone and our conclusion is that the fault was due to to him using the phone while charging it. This can cause the phone to overheat and short circuit.

''The relatives of the deceased said that he often used the phone to play games or listen to music. We believe this is the explanation for how he died.''

Lieutenant Colonel Singhasettakit said police searched the room for more evidence and had ruled out foul play.

Meanwhile, Thirawat's body was sent for an autopsy at Pak Chong Nana Hospital for the cause of death.