SINGAPORE, Feb 20 — Passengers were evacuated from a train on the Singapore North-East Line at Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station, after smoke was seen emitting from a passenger’s mobile phone during the evening peak hour yesterday.
Tammy Tan, senior vice president of corporate communications at SBS Transit, told TODAY that passengers were evacuated “as a safety precaution” and no injuries were reported. The phone did not spark a fire.
The incident took place at about 6.30pm, and the affected train was routed back to the depot empty.
A photograph of the evacuation sent to TODAY showed a packed platform on the side heading towards Punggol.
Tan said that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) as well as the Singapore Police Force’s Public Transport Security Command were activated “as a safety measure”.
In response to media queries, an SCDF spokesperson said that its officers responded to a call at about 6.30pm but upon arrival, they were told by staff members from SBS Transit that their assistance was no longer needed.
Twenty minutes later, SBS Transit asked for SCDF’s help again, but at Sengkang Depot this time, the spokesperson told TODAY. The mobile phone that emitted smoke in the train cabin was being investigated there, and preliminary investigations found the cause of the smoke to be “accidental and of electrical origin”, he said. — TODAY
