PUBLISHED : 25 Feb 2024 at 04:00
A power bank explosion triggered chaos on a flight from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday morning, forcing passengers and crew to extinguish a midair fire.
The incident was reported by Pol Capt Sayan Srimai, who reports for Amarin TV and was among the passengers on Thai AirAsia flight FD3188 where the explosion occurred.
About 30 minutes after departing Don Mueang airport at 7.20am, passengers said they saw smoke and flames coming from seats in the 15th row of the aircraft.
Despite the chaos and confusion, those aboard were able to come together and extinguish the blaze within two minutes.
The flight was able to continue and land safely at Nakhon Si Thammarat airport as scheduled. There were 186 passengers on board.
An initial probe found burn marks on the seats near the incident.
Authorities believe an exploded power bank was the cause. The device belonged to a family of seven to eight people travelling for a vacation. It had been stowed in the seat pocket when it suddenly ignited.
Thai AirAsia later confirmed a power bank brought into the aircraft by a passenger was the cause of the explosion.
The crew managed to lead the effort in putting out the fire quickly and safely. The airline thanked passengers for lending their assistance and being cooperative, which enabled efforts to extinguish the fire to proceed effectively.
Thai AirAsia also advised passengers not to place power banks in their checked luggage stored in the cargo hold. Only power banks of permissible size are allowed to be hand-carried in the aircraft cabin.