Eight people were taken to the hospital after a battery ignited in a passenger’s hand luggage aboard a Scandinavian Airlines flight, Norway’s Accident Investigation Board said Tuesday. The October 14 incident unfolded in Oslo as passengers were still boarding the short hop to Bergen, a city in the north of the country. About 50 people had already taken their seats on SAS Flight 295 when smoke began pouring from a suitcase, triggering an immediate evacuation. Pilots wore oxygen masks while flight attendants pulled on smoke hoods as they tried to get control of the growing threat. Cabin crew attempted to extinguish the fire, but it reignited. The burning suitcase was eventually hauled off the aircraft, where firefighters managed to put out the blaze. Emergency services were called to the scene, and eight people were transported to the hospital for observation after officials believed they had inhaled toxic fumes. All were discharged within 48 hours, according to Norwegian investigators. The board has opened a formal investigation into how the battery ignited and why the small fire flared up twice before being contained.
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