A mobile phone has exploded in a woman's face while she was out shopping. The blast caused burns to her face and neck.

The freak incident happened in Amsterdam earlier this week.

According to local reports, the phone switched itself off when the 33-year-old women dropped the phone. When she switched it back on again, the phone exploded.

Paramedics arrived quickly on the scene to treat her for her injuries.

According to witnesses, the phone concerned was manufactured by mobile giant Nokia.

A spokesman for Nokia confirmed that while the phone was made by Nokia, the battery was not.

Nokia intends to carry out an investigation into the incident but has warned that some replacement batteries, while cheaper, lack some essential safety features.

He said Nokia was aware of "three or four" similar incidents of exploding mobile phones over the last six months or so. ®