Airline passengers should ensure their power banks are in good condition and from reputable brands before boarding flights, experts have warned, after a charging device was suspected to have caused a fire on board an aircraft preparing for departure from South Korea to Hong Kong.

Investigations are continuing into what sparked the fire that engulfed the Air Busan aircraft at Gimhae International Airport in the country’s south on Tuesday but local media reports suggest a power bank stowed in an overhead locker started it.

Authorities initially reported that three people were hurt but increased the number to seven on Wednesday. One person remained in hospital, the country’s transport ministry said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated from the Airbus A321 using inflatable slides.

Lo Kok-keung, a retired engineering professor who provides expert witness testimony on traffic accidents, said on Thursday that passengers should check their power banks to ensure they were in good condition and avoid bringing old ones on board.

The internal insulator or wires inside older power banks could wear down over time, which could cause a short circuit, he said. (South China Morning Post: Text, Excluding Headline)