Power bank releases smoke at Woodlands MRT station, trains bypass station for 20 minutes

SINGAPORE: A commuter’s power bank began releasing smoke while she was waiting for a train at Woodlands MRT station on Monday (July 20), leaving her with minor finger injuries and briefly disrupting train services.

According to a photo provided by the public, the woman’s pink bag was near the platform screen doors, and it was seen smoking while passengers were boarding and alighting as usual, as stated by Shin Min Daily News. 

The woman was seen standing next to the bag as she stared at it, seemingly confused about what was happening. Fortunately, there were not many people around the station at the time of the incident, and it did not disturb any passengers. 

It was also reported that another passenger noticed that something was not right and alerted the station staff. With this, the staff quickly brought the situation under control and assisted the female passenger who had minor blisters in her fingers. No one else was injured in the incident. 

Trains bypassed Woodlands MRT station for about 20 minutes as a safety precaution.

In other news, the same incident also happened to a train going to Woodlands North on the evening of May 21st.  A passenger’s power bank suddenly caught fire and emitted smoke. 

Due to the incident, some passengers moved to the back of the carriage, while others immediately activated the emergency communication button inside the train.

As per safety procedures, the train automatically stopped at the nearest station. The train made an emergency stop at the Pioneer Memorial Park station, which was yet to be opened to the public at the time of the incident. 

Read more about the news story here.