Seoul (dpa) – Samsung on Tuesday suspended global sales of its Galaxy Note7 smartphone with immediate effect and advised users to power the devices down after numerous reports of them catching fire.
“Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 while the investigation is taking place,” the South Korean tech giant said in a statement.
Samsung started selling the smartphone on August 19, but announced a global recall of 2.5 million units in September following reports that some of the devices had caught fire.
However there were soon reports that replacement phones had also caught fire, including one which began emitting smoke on a US domestic flight last week, forcing the evacuation of a passenger plane.
“We remain committed to working diligently with appropriate regulatory authorities to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation,” Tuesday’s statement continued.
“Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 device should power down and stop using the device and take advantage of the remedies available.”
