SINGAPORE: Passengers on board an east-bound train had to get off at the Tanjong Pagar station in the afternoon of Dec 5, after a passenger’s power bank started emitting smoke.
In a post on Xiaohongshu on Dec 6, a passenger, who goes by Liu Xiaopang, said he saw thick smoke and noticed a strange smell, which was coming from another commuter’s power bank.
There was no open flame or explosion from the powerbank, said Liu.
He said a commuter immediately pressed the emergency button and left the train cabin.
SMRT staff also guided passengers off the train and relocated them to another train that arrived within five minutes, he said.
The owner of the power bank apologised to those who were at the scene, said Mr Liu, adding that passengers had remained calm.
In a media reply, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said the Emergency Communication Button on the train was activated at around 2pm.
The station staff discovered smoke emitting from the power bank and promptly guided all passengers on board the train to disembark safely, he added.
No injuries were reported.
The station’s exhaust system was activated to clear the smoke, which dissipated shortly after, said Lam.
He said the affected train was sent to the depot for further checks, and that train services were not affected.
In March, 650 people on a train at Raffles Place MRT station were evacuated after a commuter’s power bank caught fire.
There were 13 fires linked to power banks in 2024, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force. There were 10 such fires in 2023, 11 each in 2021 and 2022, six in 2020 and seven in 2019. - The Straits Times/ANN
