An official in east China hanged himself yesterday after being sacked following a corruption probe into his presence at an extravagant banquet.

Lou Xuequan, 50, was found by his wife in their home in Jianye District about 5am, The Beijing News reported.

An ambulance took him to the BenQ Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, it said.

Lou was the former Party chief of Liuhe District of Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu Province.

He was sacked from his position on June 18, after provincial anti-graft investigators found he had accepted an invitation to an expensive dinner while visiting an industrial park, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The authorities made an example of Lou’s dismissal to warn officials not to break the frugality rules set by the central government," the report said.

Such lavish dinners are frequently associated in China with shady deals and the high living some officials enjoy despite only modest formal incomes, and have been a particular focus of the Party's anti-corruption drive.

Lou, a native of Nanjing, had also served as director and Party chief of the city’s transport bureau, and was vice commander of a road and bridge construction office.

He was appointed Party chief of Xiaguan District in December 2011, and made Liuhe Party chief in March 2013.

State media have reported on a series of officials and executives who have killed themselves in recent months, apparently after falling victim to corruption probes.

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