Portable battery likely caused fire

[Anchor]

Passengers and crew of the accident aircraft have testified that the fire started in the overhead luggage compartment.

There is a possibility that the fire originated from a portable battery inside a passenger's luggage.

The accident investigation committee is also considering the possibility of electrical short circuits and other issues with the aircraft as they investigate the cause from multiple angles.

Reporter Lee Ji-eun reports.

[Report]

Immediately after the incident, passengers reported seeing flames coming from the overhead luggage compartment.

[Jung Young-jun/Busan Nam-gu: "The fire suddenly flared up. From that luggage compartment. After the fire started, there was a huge amount of smoke inside. From that point, passengers started pushing forward...."]

A crew member who first witnessed the fire also pointed to the same location.

The area where the smoke rose was above the left-side seats, behind the aircraft's wings, in the luggage storage compartment.

It is primarily suggested that the fire may have been caused by a portable battery in a passenger's luggage being impacted.

In April and July of last year, portable batteries caught fire on passenger aircraft of Asiana Airlines and Eastar Jet, respectively, and in December of last year, a portable battery also ignited on an Air Busan passenger aircraft.

At that time, crew members quickly extinguished the fire, preventing significant damage.

Due to the fire hazards, there are restrictions on carrying portable batteries on board.

For batteries used for charging mobile phones, those under 100Wh can be brought in, with a maximum of 20 per person, but larger capacity batteries are limited to a maximum of 2, as long as they are under 160Wh.

This is in line with the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, but there are calls to strengthen these standards as recent fires have occurred consecutively.

[Kwon Bo-heon/Professor of Aviation Safety Management, Far East University: "Batteries can heat up and are difficult to extinguish, and the overhead bins are covered with plastic, but the area above is completely empty. So, the fire spreads easily."]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated that the engines on both wings of the accident aircraft were not damaged.

The possibility of a fire caused by issues with the engines or the aircraft structure is low.

However, the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board is keeping the possibility of electrical short circuits or leaks in the cabin open for investigation.

This is KBS News, Lee Ji-eun.