It claimed the men had been part of a gang of six hijackers onboard a Tianjin Airlines' flight from Hotan in southwest Xinjiang to Urumqi.

Shortly after take-off the men, allegedly from the Uighur Muslim minority group, told the 101 passengers onboard they were taking control of the plane, said reports, and used broken crutches to attack passengers and crew and to try to break into the cockpit.

However, passengers and police onboard managed to overpower the hijackers and tie them up with belts, allowing the aircraft to return safely to the airport.

All of the hijackers were taken to hospital, where two later died.