Crew on a Sri Lankan Airlines plane carrying 202 passengers have extinguished a mid-flight fire triggered by a mobile phone battery in an overhead locker, the carrier said on Monday.
The airline said a "major" incident was averted by the quick-thinking attendants on the flight Sunday from Kochi in India to Colombo.
Smoke was detected shortly after a meal service on the 70-minute flight, it said.
The smoke came from an overhead bin, the airline added, thanking its crew for "averting a major incident".
Crew suspected a lithium battery fire and put the luggage in water after failing to stop the smoke with a fire extinguisher, an airline statement said.
"The situation was successfully contained and the bag ceased to emit smoke," the statement said. "Upon investigation, the crew found a lithium battery pack and two mobile phones in the bag."
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