Smoking Samsung phone causes Southwest Airlines evacuation
Monday, 06 Oct, 2016
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A Southwest Airlines jet was evacuated after a new replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 device caught fire.
The plane was still on the ground at Louisville, Kentucky preparing for take-off to Baltimore when smoke began billowing from the phone.
All 75 passengers and crew were evacuated safely.
Phone owner Brian Green told the Verge the device was a replacement following a global recall of Galaxy Note 7’s due to several instances of dangerously overheating.
This prompted a warning from the FAA and numerous airlines banned the use of the devices and carriage in checked bags.
This could spell more trouble for Samsung after assuring customers the new version was safe and not vulnerable to overheating.
The incident happened during the airplane safety demonstration when passengers were requested to power down all devices.
"Prior to Southwest Airlines Flight 994 departing from Louisville for Baltimore, a customer reported smoke emitting from an electronic device. Initial reports indicate the device was a Samsung," southwest Airlines said in a statement.
Samsung also issued a statement saying: "Until we are able to retrieve the device, we cannot confirm that this incident involves the new Note7. We are working with the authorities and Southwest now to recover the device and confirm the cause. Once we have examined the device we will have more information to share."
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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