US flight evacuated after Samsung Galaxy Note 7 catches fire

A Southwest Airlines flight in the US was evacuated after a passenger’s Samsung phone began emitting smoke.

Flight 994 leaving Louisville, Kentucky was evacuated on the runway prior to takeoff.

“All customers and crew deplaned calmly and safely via the main cabin door,” the airline said in a statement.

Brian Green, owner of the phone, told The Verge, a tech news website, that the phone was a replacement, which he picked up in September.

He also provided a picture of its box, which had a black square symbol indicating that it was a replacement.

The Verge reported that Green had powered down the phone for takeoff, an account The New York Times confirmed through other witnesses.

The heat damage from the apparent explosion was so severe that a fire official could not independently verify the model of the phone, ABC News reported.

There is an ongoing global recall of the South Korean phone-maker’s “phablet” due to explosions caused by faulty batteries.

The company suspended sales of the oversized device and recalled 2.5 million units worldwide last month.

At least 2.5m phones have been recalled

Some 60% of US consumers had swapped their devices for replacements by the end of last month.

“Until we are able to retrieve the device, we cannot confirm that this incident involves the new Note7,” ABC News quoted Samsung as saying in a statement.

“We are working with the authorities and Southwest now to recover the device and confirm the cause,” the company added. “Once we have examined the device we will have more information to share.”

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has banned the device on Nigerian airlines, warning passengers not to keep the phones in any checked-in baggage.

Sam Adurogboye, NCAA’s general manager, public relations, who gave the directive, said the action was necessary following recent incidents and concerns raised by manufacturers of the product.