Smoking phone on MTR train prompts evacuation of 80 passengers
No injuries reported; incident suspected to have been caused by overheating battery
Smoke from a mobile phone forced the evacuation of about 80 passengers from an MTR train during the Friday morning rush hour in Hong Kong.
The incident happened at about 9am, soon after an Admiralty-bound South Island Line train left South Horizons station.
“Staff on board the train were deployed to investigate and found a damaged mobile phone on the floor,” he said. “Passengers informed us that the mobile phone emitted smoke, and a commuter used an extinguisher to spray the phone.”
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As a safety precaution, all passengers were evacuated from the three-carriage train after it arrived at Lei Tung station, the spokesman said, adding that about 80 passengers were involved.