A brief scare unfolded at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport in Chandigarh on Tuesday after smoke from a passenger’s power bank onboard an IndiGo flight from Hyderabad triggered an emergency evacuation after landing.
The aircraft, operating as IndiGo Flight 6E-108, landed safely in Chandigarh at around 3.29 pm. The flight had 198 passengers, including two infants, and six crew members on board.
Airport sources stated that the incident took place while the aircraft was taxiing towards Bay No. 1. • The scare began when a passenger in seat 39C reported smoke and flames coming from a personal power bank believed to have malfunctioned. As smoke began to spread, tension rose among passengers; however, the crew’s quick response helped contain the fire before it worsened.
As a precautionary measure, the crew declared an emergency after the incident. At around 3.35 pm, evacuation process was started and passengers were guided out of the flight using inflatable emergency slides.
One passenger sustained a minor ankle injury during the evacuation, and a few others experienced slight discomfort caused by panic and smoke. No casualties were reported. The Indian Air Force fire tender arrived promptly at around 3.38 pm, but the situation had already been handled by the cabin crew.
IndiGo said in a statement that the aircraft had already landed and was stationary when a passenger’s electronic device caught fire. ““In the interest of safety, an immediate evacuation was carried out and all relevant authorities were informed. All customers were safely escorted to the terminal and are being attended to,” according to the airline spokesperson.
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