Plane passengers suffer burns after power bank catches fire
Jake Massey
Featured Image Credit: CNA
Two passengers were injured after a power bank caught fire on a plane shortly before take-off.
The aircraft was taxiing towards the runway at Taoyuan Airport, in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, when the fire broke out, sparking panic among passengers.
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The flight on Tuesday (10 January) was headed for Singapore, but the flaming power bank - used to charge electronic devices - stopped the flight from departing as planned.
Scoot airline said the owner of the power bank and his companion sustained 'minor burns to their fingers' and they received first aid back at the airport, but did not need to be taken to hospital.
A spokesperson for the airline said: "Scoot flight TR993, operating from Taipei to Singapore on Jan 10, returned to the gate after a rechargeable power bank belonging to customer overheated while the aircraft was on the ground.
"We are rescheduling the flight and will provide affected passengers with accommodation and meals.
"Scoot sincerely apologises for the incident. The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority."
A passenger on the abandoned flight praised the 'extremely professional' cabin crew for the way they dealt with the blaze.
Angie Ton was sat in row 13 and said the engine was 'just about to start going' when she heard a commotion behind her and spotted the frightened faces of passengers.
"The people started backing up and then people were screaming: 'Help, help! There's a fire,'" the 28-year-old told Asian news network CNA.
In a flash, a flight attendant came running to the scene, telling passengers to step back and calm down, before a colleague put it out with a fire extinguisher.
"Props to those flight attendants because they knew exactly what to do," Angie said.
"They deserve recognition for their training, hard work, and calm attitude."
As well as the two people who burnt their fingers, Angie said an elderly woman sought medical assistance too, as she was hurt when people initially pushed themselves away from the fire.
Around an hour later, Angie said the pilot told passengers that the flight would be departing as planned, but those who did not feel safe could leave.
"(The pilot) still was planning to fly because apparently the engineers checked it and they said that the plane is totally fine, it's just the burn on the carpet," she said.
However, after about three hours, passengers were informed that the flight would not be allowed to go ahead.
Reflecting on the incident, Angie said: "It's not the airline's fault, it's also not the passenger's. It's kind of nobody's fault.
"If you buy a power bank, you better buy a good quality one, not a cheap one."