GUANGZHOU - A senior district official in China's southern metropolis of Guangzhou has been suspended from his post for allegedly beating an air attendant, sources said Monday.

Fang Daguo, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China's Yuexiu District Committee and also political commissar of the Yuexiu Armed Forces Department, faced fierce public backlash after reportedly beating a China Southern Airlines air hostess during a flight from Hefei to Guangzhou on Wednesday.

He has been suspended while local government carries out an investigation

Fang and his wife, who both smelt strongly of alcohol, had a dispute with the air hostess after the latter suggested they put their carry-on luggage elsewhere as no room could be found in the overhead compartments, a passenger told Xinhua.

Fang grabbed the air hostess's arms after yelling at her, the eyewitness said. "I had no idea if the grab hurt or not, but I saw scratches on her arms."

The air attendant posted photos on Sina Weibo, China's popular equivalent of Twitter, showing bruises on her arms and neck and also her torn clothes.

The publicity department of Yuexiu district said Friday that an investigation showed Fang's wife had a brawl with the air hostess, but denied that Fang beat the latter.

Fang and his wife apologized to the air hostess for their acts, the department said in a statement.