A man was detained on Sunday at Dazhou Airport in southwest China's Sichuan Province for carrying a weapon, local police have said.

According to police a pistol was found in the lining of the man's hand luggage during a security check before he was permitted to board an Airbus 319 flight to Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

The aircraft was scheduled to depart at 4:30 PM and delayed for over an hour. It took off at 6 PM.

Police are investigating the incident.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2007 )