Passengers evacuated after power bank fire scare on easyJet flight

Emergency: Footage shows emergency vehicles rushing to the easyJet plane (Jam Press)

Panicking passengers were forced to escape an easyJet flight by sliding down inflatable chutes after a fire scare.

The Airbus A320 was taxiing on the runway when smoke was detected inside the cabin.

The captain immediately abandoned takeoff and deployed the chutes,with the plane’s 146 passengers escaping through the emergency exits.

Ambulances and fire crew rushed to the plane after the incident at Milan Malpensa Airport. Passengers on nearby taxiing aircraft were also evacuated as a precaution.

Aborted take-off: Passengers are seen escaping down the emergency slides (Jam Press)

Two people on board the flight to Czech capital Prague suffered minor injuries as they exited the aircraft.

Italy’s air accident agency ANSV believes the incident was sparked by a lithium power bank overheating.

It comes after an easyJet flight was forced to divert after a passenger left their charging bank inside their suitcase.

EasyJet‘s website states that ‘power banks are prohibited from use on easyJet aircraft and must not be used to charge other devices’.

The company said in a statement: ‘EasyJet can confirm that flight EJU3905 from Milan Malpensa to Prague on 10 September was required to evacuate whilst taxiing to the runway due to reports of smoke in the cabin. Emergency services attended the aircraft. 

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.‘Our crew are trained to respond quickly and effectively and so they safely evacuated all passengers who were coached to the terminal building. ‘A replacement flight operated later that evening. Customers were provided with refreshment drinks at the airport and received support and regular updates throughout.‘The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.’In May,the UK Civil Aviation Authority issued a stark warning about summer flights being delayed by wrongly packed electrical gadgets such as vapes and power banks.