- Two passengers locked a crying toddler inside an airplane bathroom on a flight in China.
- The incident, filmed and shared on Chinese social media, has sparked intense online backlash.
- Juneyao Airlines said the child's grandparents permitted the strangers to "educate her."
Two passengers aboard a Juneyao Airlines flight from Guiyang in southwestern China to Shanghai on Saturday locked a crying toddler in an airplane bathroom.
One of the passengers posted a video of the incident on Chinese social media. The video has since gone viral and generated intense backlash.
Sixth Tone, an English-language, state-run Chinese media outlet, identified the woman who filmed the incident as Gou Tingting.
Sixth Tone reported that in a caption for the now-deleted video — originally posted on Douyin, China's version of TikTok — Gou said the child's crying was so loud that passengers used tissues to try to block out the sound.
The outlet said one of the women could be heard in the footage telling the wailing child they wouldn't let her out unless she stopped crying.
The video has been met with fierce backlash in China.
Some online comments accused Gou of "bullying" the child and lacking empathy, the BBC reported.
Other commenters expressed concern about the damage it might do to her psychologically, the outlet added.
Some commenters shared screenshots of police reports they'd filed against the women, per Sixth Tone.
Sixth Tone reported that despite the outrage, the Guizhou Airport Public Security Bureau didn't charge Guo or the other woman because the child's grandparents had asked for assistance.
Juneyao Airlines confirmed in a Weibo post on Monday that the incident had occurred.
The post said the child's grandparents had consented to the strangers taking the child to the bathroom to "educate her."
The airline also said the grandmother waited at the restroom door throughout the incident.
Business Insider was unable to reach Gou for comment.
