Former minister’s power bank catches fire on plane

Former minister’s power bank catches fire on plane

A power bank belonging to former Dutch Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings caught fire aboard a KLM aircraft, causing a fire. The incident occurred over the Atlantic Ocean while the plane was flying from Amsterdam to the island of Curaçao.

Five and a half hours into the flight, the power bank caught fire in the business-class cabin. The crew quickly extinguished the fire, but the captain decided to return to Amsterdam as a safety precaution.

According to reports, Eurlings had plugged the device in to charge and then fallen asleep. Under KLM’s rules, using or charging a power bank during the flight is prohibited.

The 53-year-old Camiel Eurlings served as the Netherlands’ Minister of Transport from 2007 to 2010 and headed KLM from 2013 to 2014.