Beijing, Jul 26 (EFE).– A passenger deliberately started a fire with a cigarette lighter and gasoline on board a Shenzhen Airlines plane while it was in flight over China, although the fire was quickly extinguished and the man subdued and later arrested, the official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.

The incident occurred about 1 p.m. local time on Sunday during a flight between the eastern city of Taizhou and Guangzhou, in the south.

Two people were injured in the incident and were hospitalized after the plane landed, while the crew and passengers, who aided in immobilizing the man, evacuated the aircraft on the inflatable slides.

At present, it is not known how the man got the gasoline on board the plane.

So far, neither the airport police nor the airline have provided the identity of the man, but photographs of the interior of the plane posted on the Internet show that one of the plane’s windows was completely blackened with smoke.

Police are investigating the incident, which revealed serious security lapses at the Taizhou airport, given that neither cigarette lighters nor flammable substances are permitted on flights within Chinese airspace, as per international standards.

In recent months, several incidents have been reported in which Chinese travelers took unusual actions on board flights, including two passengers who on board different jets opened the emergency hatch and another who threw nearly boiling water at a flight attendant. EFE