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Two strangers locked a little girl in an airplane bathroom after the child wouldn’t stop crying.

According to CNN, the shocking incident took place on a Juneyao Airlines flight from the southwestern city of Guiyang to Shanghai on 24 August. Video – which went viral on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok – captured two strangers refusing to let out a little girl from the bathroom if she didn’t stop crying.

Although the clip has since been deleted from the platform, one of the strangers – a woman – reportedly told the little girl, “We won’t let you out unless you stop crying.”

Once the girl finally calmed down, the woman filming the video picked her up and told her, “If you make any noise again, we’ll come back [to the bathroom].”

According to a statement from Juneyao Airlines on Weibo – the Chinese version of X – the little girl was reportedly traveling with her grandmother, who allowed the two strangers to take her to the bathroom and “educate her.” She stood beside the bathroom door as the strangers told the little girl they would keep her in the bathroom until she calmed herself.

Also shared on Weibo, the video drew swift backlash, with many taking issue with the strangers’ treatment of the little girl. Commenters on Weibo were merciless, reportedly calling the strangers’ actions “cold-blooded” and “inappropriate.”

As the backlash intensified over the next few days, the airline’s customer service department eventually issued a public apology for the incident excusing it as an “oversight of the crew.” According to the state-run publication Southern Metropolis Daily, the company also added that they condemned the two passengers’ behavior.

The company has since said they have “launched an internal investigation,” adding that they have also contacted the little girl’s parents to “inquire about the situation and verify the facts in order to restore the truth of the matter.”

One of the women in the video has since defended herself online, claiming on Weibo that she had pure intentions, trying to ensure a “restful flight” for the rest of the passengers on board.

However, internet users weren’t receptive to her excuses, with many labeling her a heartless bully. The backlash to her video was so intense that she ultimately deleted the video.

“Adults in their 30s can have emotional breakdowns, but people don’t allow toddlers to have theirs,” one user wrote on Weibo.

Another added, “We were all once children … Don’t be a cold-blooded adult.”

This isn’t the first time that children’s behavior on airplanes has sparked debate on Chinese social media, with the topic reportedly trending regularly.