Thai prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against the local division of the Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia after one of its handsets allegedly exploded and injured a user, a spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General said Monday.

The case, filed last Friday, seeks compensation of 1 million baht (US$26,100) for severe burns and leg and hand injuries suffered by welder Prasit Sriseeluang when his Nokia 3310 allegedly blew up in March last year, said spokesman Sirisak Tiyaphan.

Representatives from Nokia (Thailand) declined to comment.

However, in a statement last month to Bangkok newspaper The Nation, the company was cited as saying that "it intends to strongly and vigorously defend any claim or action made against it." It said its products met safety standards and those sold in Thailand were approved by the Post and Telegraph Department.

Nokia (Thailand) is charged with producing products not meeting quality standards and causing injury to the user. The first court hearing is scheduled for July 18th.

The prosecution has charged that Prasit, 50, was working near a high-voltage power pole when the phone, in his shirt pocket, rang and then allegedly exploded, Tiyaphan said.

His right leg and all five toes of his left foot were amputated, while his right hand was crippled, he said.

Prasit filed a complaint with Thailand's Consumer Protection Board, which concluded that defective parts in the phone allegedly caused the accident. It called for Nokia (Thailand) to pay 1 million baht (US$26,100) in compensation.

The board also recommended that prosecutors file charges against the company in the civil court.