BRUSSELS, Aug. 18  -- The European Commission said on Tuesday it had launched an investigation after a series of alleged cases of exploding iPhones and iPod music players.

Commission spokeswoman Helen Kearns told reporters that the commission, which is responsible for safety of consumer products across the European Union (EU), had asked the U.S. manufacturer Apple for more information last week.

"Apple has come back to us this morning. They consider that these are isolated incidents," she told reporters in Brussels.

The investigation was launched after at least three cases of exploding iPhones and iPods were reported in a handful of EU member states. In one case, a French teenage was hurt by pieces of iPhones' screen glass after the phone suddenly began to "crackle and pop like a deep-fryer".

The commission also asked EU member states where the incidents occurred to provide information.

There had been similar accidents reported in the United States and several other countries, with the cause said to be over heating batteries.

                                                                                                             Source: Xinhua