Terror on Chinese flight as passenger tries to start fire 'with petrol and lighter'
Passenger detained after Shenzhen Airlines issues Mayday call and lands in Guangzhou
A man tried to start a fire on board a Shenzhen Airlines flight early on Sunday but was restrained by cabin crew and passengers, mainland Chinese civil aviation authorities said.
Two people were injured in the incident, which broke out aboard Flight ZH9648 shortly before it was due to land in Guangzhou. A Xinhua report said there had been a "flight disruption", while its microblog said it was a fire.
Slides were deployed and 95 passengers and nine crew made an emergency evacuation. The police were waiting and took the man into custody.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said a passenger aboard the flight from Taizhou in Zhejiang province had tried to start a fire but failed. An investigation was under way, it said, without giving any other details.
Photos posted on Weibo showed a damaged airline seat and smoke-blackened door.
A passenger told Zhejiang-based Dushi Kuaibao the incident happened about half an hour before landing, and the man tried twice to start a fire.
"The flight attendants were making landing preparations, and they saw a fire at one of the doors. Two flight attendants and one passenger put out the fire with extinguishers," the passenger was quoted as saying, adding the man also held a knife.
