A Hong Kong Airlines Flight travelling from Hangzhou to Hong Kong was forced to divert to Fuzhou after a fire broke out in the overhead luggage compartment of the passenger flight on Thursday (Mar 20).

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The Airbus A320 aircraft took off from Hangzhou at 12.20 pm (local time) and arrived in Fuzhou at 2.01 pm, reports flight tracking website flightradar24.

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Power bank hazard

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South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that the fire may have been caused by a power bank.

As per Hong Kong Airlines, a fire broke out in one of the overhead compartments of its flight HX115 from Hangzhou to Hong Kong. The aircraft was then forced to land at Fuzhou Changle International Airport. The carrier noted that there were 160 passengers and eight crew members onboard the plane when the fire broke out. 

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No injuries were reported. The cabin crew promptly extinguished the fire.

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"Hong Kong Airlines flight HX115, departing from Hangzhou to Hong Kong today, diverted and landed safely in Fuzhou Changle International Airport due to a fire in the overhead compartment, which was successfully extinguished," said the airline, as quoted by SCMP.

It also said that it was arranging for a replacement aircraft to fly the passengers to Hong Kong. 

While the airlines did not disclose what caused the fire, some passengers on social media claimed that it was caused by a power bank.

Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department said it would follow up on the incident with the airline, which had reported the case and was due to submit an investigation report to authorities. No injuries had been reported, it added.

(With inputs from agencies)