Samsung halting Galaxy Note 7 production after more battery issues

South Korean electronics giant Samsung is facing another headache with its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, as it halts production of the device following more issues with overheating batteries.

The news was first reported by Yonhap news agency in the country, citing unnamed officials as sources.

Last month, the company announced that it was recalling 2.5m of the phones due to several reports of their batteries catching fire and exploding.

Samsung has built its reputation as one of the key players in a saturated smartphone market, but the latest setback could seriously harm the firm's chances, after the release of the Apple iPhone 7, and Google's first smartphone, the Pixel.

Two networks in the United States have said they will stop exchanging the device due to the technical problems. AT&T and T-Mobile have stopped accepting exchanges and the latter confirmed it was stopping sales.

Samsung told the BBC it was "adjusting the production schedule to ensure quality and safety matters".

The latest news arrives after a Southwest Airlines flight was evacuated following claims that a Galaxy Note 7 caught fire just before take off.

In spite of the recall, Samsung reported a third-quarter profit rise of 6% to $7bn last week.