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A teenage Russian martial arts champion was electrocuted in her bath after her mobile phone fell in the water while she was charging it.

Irina Rybnikova, 15, died immediately as a result of the “tragic accident”, say reports.

Her family say that she had gone for a bath at her home in the Siberian industrial city of Bratsk when she plugged in a charger for her iPhone.

She later was found dead in the bath.

The tragic teenager was a champion fighter in pankration - a form of “no rules” boxing and wrestling originating in ancient Greece.

She won the all-Russian championship two months ago and had been selected for her country’s national team.

“She was dreaming of becoming a world champion,” said a friend.

(Image: east2west news) (Image: east2west news)

Her sister Tatiana, 25, told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper: “In August she became the godmother to my little daughter.

“My child adored her and called her ‘nanny’.

“And now she is not with us anymore…

“Our hearts are broken.

(Image: east2west news)

(Image: east2west news)

"It is so quiet and feels empty at home without her.”

She was a “beautiful girl” with “many friends”.

A friend said: “She was a great person, the best and the most loved.

“She always dreamed of success in sports.

(Image: east2west news)

(Image: east2west news)

“We wanted to go together with her to another city and study there.

“Everybody loved her, she was sociable, kind and beautiful”.

Yury Agrafonov, the head of radio-electronic department of Irkutsk State University, said: “Water is a good conductor for a current, this is why there was a short circuit when the phone fell into the water.

“If the phone had not been plugged in to 220 volts, the tragedy would not have happened.”

Her sports federation issued a statement saying: ‘A tragic accident has taken the life of our champion, friend, mate and student Irina Rybnikova, 15.

“She was a candidate for Master of Sports in pankration, our beloved girl. Rest in peace”.

Russian safety officials have previously warned about the acute dangers from using mobile phone chargers in bathrooms.