Rescue workers were initially able to revive the girl after the incident in Macon, the newspaper Le Parisien reported on Saturday.

She was in a coma for a few days in the university hospital in Lyon and then died.

The girl had been with a friend at home when the accident occurred. The friend was taken to hospital in shock. The exact events are still being investigated.

The girl's mother appealed to other teenagers and their parents saying "This must be a warning to other teenagers, because they all have their phones implanted in their hands, so to speak.

We really have to insist: no phones in bathtubs because it can end so dramatically."

Australian Associated Press