Medical Student Fined for Throwing Coins From Plane to Cure Diarrhea Her Cousin's Baby Suffered During Flight

A woman in China has been fined for throwing coins on the parking apron at an airport in a bid to cure her cousin's baby's diarrhea, according to reports.

The woman, named only by her surname Wang, had arrived with her family in Xichang, Sichuan province, on September 5 having flown in from Nanchang, Jiangxi province for a wedding, reports Chengdu Business News (via South China Morning Post).

The woman is alleged to have thrown the coins onto the ground from the airplane as her family was disembarking via the jet bridge.

Three airport workers then found the coins while conducting a security check and alerted the police.

Police then found it was Wang who dropped the coins after reviewing security footage. She was then located at her hotel the next morning.

She allegedly told police that her cousin's baby was suffering from diarrhea during the flight and it was customary to toss coins for good luck, according to reports.

"She said she didn't realize her action could have had a very serious outcome," a police spokesperson said.

Wang was reported to be shocked that she was in trouble from police for dropping the coins. She is also reported to have told police she was worried that her future career prospects may be affected as a result of getting in trouble with the law.

She had just completed a bachelor's degree in medicine and was getting ready to take a graduate school entrance examination at the time.

As her actions didn't cause any delay to the flight or any other issues, Wang was only charged with a minor offense and fined 200 Yuan ($28.20).

This is not the first time Chinese passengers have got in trouble after being caught throwing coins while getting on or off planes.

In March, two women in their mid-20s were detained by police after for throwing coins as they crossed the jet path onto the plane at Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport.

The coins landed near the front of the plane, causing the Lucky Air flight with 260 passengers on board to be delayed by two hours, the Daily Mail confirmed at the time.

The Daily Mail cited comments from a professor at the Civil Aviation University of China to the China Daily regarding the potential danger if the coins get into the plane's engines.

"The engine could tremble, lose speed and even stop in mid-air if a coin were sucked into its core," he said. "That would put all the passengers on board at great risk."

The South China Morning Post reported that a 76-year-old woman was also taken into custody in April for tossing coins into the jet's engine at an airport in Anqing, Anhui province, for good luck.