India, Oct. 19 -- An Air China flight was forced to make an emergency landing on Saturday after a lithium battery inside a passenger's carry-on luggage suddenly ignited mid-air, sending flames and thick smoke billowing from an overhead bin.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the incident occurred aboard a flight from Hangzhou, China, to Seoul, South Korea. In a statement on social media, Air China confirmed the incident. "On October 18, on flight CA139 from Hangzhou to Incheon, a lithium battery in a passenger's carry-on luggage stored in the overhead compartment spontaneously ignited," the airline said in a statement. "The crew handled the situation quickly and no one was injured," it added.

A video circulating onli...