A woman has been placed under investigation in Shanghai for flipping coins into an aircraft engine to "pray for safety."

The suspect, an 80-year-old passenger surnamed Qiu, tossed coins to the engine while boarding flight CZ380 operated by China Southern Airlines on Tuesday.

The plane was scheduled to fly from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, at 12:40 p.m., but was delayed for more than five hours due to the incident.

Passengers on the plane alarmed police when they spotted Qiu flipping the coins. Police later found 9 coins at the site, including one in the engine.

According to airport police, Qiu has been cleared of mental illness and has no criminal record.

The airline company conducted a thorough investigation of the plane, before it took off at 6:16 p.m.

Neighbors of the suspect said that Qiu believes in Buddhism.

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