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Bangkok – A power bank explosion aboard a Thai AirAsia flight caused panic among passengers.
According to Bangkok Post, the incident occurred on Thai AirAsia flight FD3188 during its journey from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Thailand's Industry Minister Pimphattra Wichaikul was among the 186 passengers on the flight who witnessed the explosion, which filled the cabin with smoke, reported Thaiger.
Pesawat AirAsia.
A two-minute video published by Daily Mail shows passengers attempting to distance themselves from the power bank as onboard technicians rush to the seat to inspect it.
It's understood that the power bank was placed in a seat's pouch before the explosion, as reported from New York Post.
The fire was extinguished within two minutes, and the flight landed safely with no injuries reported among the passengers.
"The trained flight attendants brought fire extinguishers to quickly deal with the fire caused by the power bank," said an AirAsia spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the Airports of Thailand (AOT) said the explosion was due to the substandard quality of the power bank, reported Bangkok Post.
AOT director Kirati Kijmanawat stated that no one was to blame for the incident, as both the passenger who owned the power bank and the AOT staff members followed the guidelines and regulations for bringing or allowing such devices onto a flight.
He mentioned that passengers are not allowed to leave their power banks in their checked-in luggage and must carry them with themselves when flying. Additionally, the capacity of the power bank must not exceed 30,000mAh.
After the incident, Kirati advised passengers to use power banks produced by reputable brands.
