Kiwi passenger's phone battery caught fire on a Ryanair plane, sends panicked passengers fleeing

The drama unfolded at Barcelona's El Prat Airport yesterday. Photo / 123rf

Panicked tourists on a Ryanair holiday to Ibiza had to exit via an emergency chute after a passenger's phone battery caught fire and caught light as the plane was about to take off.

Holidaymakers were said to be falling over each other in a bid to get away from the aircraft as quickly as they could after the inflatable slide was activated.

The drama happened around 5.30pm today (Spanish time) at Barcelona's El Prat Airport as the packed plane prepared to take off for Ibiza.

No-one needed medical attention although some passengers are said to have suffered slight burns as they slid down the emergency chute.

Tourists on a Ryanair holiday jet to Ibiza had to exit via an emergency chute after a passenger's mobile phone battery exploded and caught light as it was about to take off. Photo / 123rf

Travellers were taken to the airport's Terminal One while they waited to board another plane and their luggage transferred to the new flight.

Firefighters were not called upon to deal with the explosion.

The unnamed passenger whose mobile caught light is said to be from New Zealand.

The device is thought to have been in a suitcase in the hold above his seat.

A spokesman for Ryanair Spain said: 'The passengers of a flight from Barcelona to Ibiza were evacuated in an emergency at Barcelona's El Prat Airport because of a fire in a mobile phone that was being charged with an external battery.

Holidaymakers were said to be falling over each other in a bid to get away from the aircraft as quickly as they could after the inflatable slide was activated. Photo / 123rf

'All the passengers were evacuated from the aircraft in a safe way to the terminal and the cabin crew took charge of the device.

'Ryanair is working to organise a replacement plane to re-accomodate the passengers as fast as possible.'

One relieved passenger said: 'Luckily it didn't happen when we were already on the runway.

'We were just over 100 feet away from the docking bay when the device exploded and smoke began to come out.

'Fortunately I was in the first row and I opened the emergency door before the pilot activated the chute.

Another passenger named as Jordi Vilagut told a Catalan TV station the incident had caused the aircraft to fill with smoke and some flames.

He said the evacuation had been more like a 'stampede' because of the cabin crew rushing to get passengers off the plane as soon as possible.'