Man attempts to set fire to cabin of Shenzhen Airlines plane in southern China

A man has tried to set fire to the cabin of a plane with more than 100 people aboard as it was landing in southern China before being overpowered by fellow passengers and crew, reports say.

Two of the 95 passengers suffered injuries and were taken to hospital, the official Chinese Xinhua news agency said.

The incident occurred on Shenzhen Airlines flight ZH9648 from the eastern city of Taizhou as it was landing in Guangzhou early Sunday, it said.

The unidentified passenger was subdued by cabin crew and other passengers after attempting to "damage facilities" and detained, Xinhua said without elaborating.

But a report by the Civil Aviation Resource Net of China, a civil aviation information portal, said the man had "attempted arson" on the plane as it was descending.

Online photos showed burns to a passenger seat as well as a blackened cabin door, suggesting that some kind of fire had been lit.

The plane was also carrying nine crew members, Xinhua said.

AFP






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