A CAMBODIAN Mine Action Committe [CMAC] employee is in critical condition in Battambang after an iPhone charger malfunctioned while he was holding it.

The gruesome photographs, circulating online, depict a man in an operation theatre with bits of metal lodged into his torso and underarm like shrapnel.

They also show that a large portion of his hand is missing below his left wrist, with only a few remaining digits remaining.

The incident occured while he was working at CMAC. The victim was said to have been using his phone while it was being charged.

“I can verify that it's true", said a CMAC employee in response to skepticism online regarding the validity of the photographs.

"But I would like to clarify that it was not the iPhone that was the issue -- it was the charger".

It is unclear whether he was using an Apple adapter or a third-party alternative.

The patient worked as a key manager at CMAC.

Attempts to contact family members were not successful.