A senior civil aviation official has committed suicide. The death is believed to have been tied to a series of ongoing corruption investigations of civil aviation officials, sources said Friday.

Liu Yajun, chief of Central and Southern Regional Administration (CSRA) of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), reportedly killed himself Thursday afternoon on a railway in front of an oncoming train, according to sources with Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines and Baiyun Airport.

Liu, around 50, took office as chief of the CSRA in February, 2009.

His colleagues said Liu was a decent and easy-going person and his death came as a shock.

Since January, four senior officials of the civil aviation administration have lost their positions due to charges of corruption, including Yu Renlu, deputy minister of CAAC.

Another suspicion regarding the suicide was that Liu had tired of the internal politics within the civil aviation authority.

Seven officials at China Southern Airlines were being investigated for alleged corruption after the case of Huang Dengke, chief of CAAC North China Regional Administration, triggered further investigations.

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