Samsung Electronics Co has suspended its production of the Galaxy Note7 phone, Yonhap reported on Monday. An unnamed supplier told the South Korean new agency that the suspension follows reports of the recalled product’s replacements catching fire. The company launched the product in South Korea on August 19 but was compelled to declare an international recall of 2.5 million units in September after several incidents of the phone exploding were reported.
The news agency said the South Korean technology giant had not responded to the report, which is likely to impact the sale of the replacement device, which enters the European and Indian markets on October 28. The official said the suspension is in compliance with requests from consumer safety regulators from South Korea, the United States of America and China.
According to the Yonhap report, there were eight reported cases of the replacement phone catching fire – five in the US, one in South Korea and one in Taiwan. Safety concerns have prompted two American mobile carriers – AT&T and T-Mobile US – to stop selling the product. Authorities in the US and Taiwan are yet to declare the conclusion of their investigations into the incidents. The South Korean investigation report cited a "strong external shock or being squashed" as a cause for the fire.
Several major airlines and airports have called on fliers to stop using the device on board flights.
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