Sri Lankan crew averts fire from mobile battery

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.'