ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 10, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — An exploding lithium battery in a camera bag at Orlando International Airport set off a scene of total chaos and delayed flights for several hours Friday.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that thousands of passengers were stuck at security checkpoints after the camera battery blew up and people panicked.
Flights were grounded and the airport was evacuated. Passengers had to de-plane, and those who were waiting at their gates were required to go through the TSA checkpoints again.
The incident was reported at about 5 p.m. (local time), and the security checkpoint for gates 1 through 59 was still closed three hours later, the Sentinel reported.
The checkpoint for gates 70 through 129 was reopened after security sweeps indicated they could be safely reactivated.
In all the confusion, many passengers had no idea if they were in the right line to get through.
According to reports, the Orlando Police Department said the lithium battery had overheated and exploded in the main terminal, leaving the camera bag smoldering.
One of the thousands of travelers at the scene described it as “pandemonium,” the Sentinel said.
Many of those travelers took to Twitter to share the experience:
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I thought i was about to die—only 10 ft away— at the Orlando Airport. The world is so messed up nowadays. So lucky to be alive
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So I’d just gone thru security at the Orlando airport when there was a laptop battery that exploded, causing a mass panic/stampede (agents thought it was a bomb) and people knocking over the security partitions, which sounded exactly like gunshots
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You wouldn’t believe the utter confusion in the Orlando Airport. All terminals dumped back to the security gates. Someone shouted shooter and many jumped the gates. Thousands standing to get through security
