Replacement Galaxy Note 7 catches fire on US flight

Passengers and crew were evacuated from a flight in the US on Wednesday as electronics giant Samsung admitted one of its Galaxy Note 7 replacements caught fire moments before the aircraft was due to take off.

The Southwest Airlines flight from Louisville, Kentucky, was supposed to leave for Baltimore in the morning but was evacuated on the runway as a passenger reported that his Samsung smartphone was emitting smoke.

The Note 7 received a global recall after numerous claims of explosions and fires when charging, with 2.5 million devices being offered an exchange.

Some 60% of US consumers had swapped their devices for replacements by the end of last month, while sales were suspended.

The passenger, identified as Brian Green, told ABC News that the Note 7 was a replacement.

The world's largest smartphone maker said on Wednesday that it was unable to confirm which device was involved in the incident.

"We are working with the authorities and Southwest now to recover the device and confirm the cause," the statement said. "Once we have examined the device, we will have more information to share."

The recall of the phone came at an inopportune time for Samsung, as Apple released its rival iPhone 7 in the same month, and Google announced that it was introducing its new Pixel phone to the market.