Six people were killed and one wounded in a kindergarten stabbing in southern China’s Guangdong province today, local officials said.
The incident occurred around 7:40am (2340 GMT on Sunday) at a kindergarten in Lianjiang city, where the suspect, a 25-year-old man surnamed Wu, allegedly attacked the victims with a knife.
According to a city government spokeswoman, the victims included one teacher, two parents and three students. She did not provide further information about their identities or ages.
Police said they arrested the suspect at the scene and are investigating his motive. They described the attack as an “intentional assault”. A video published by a local newspaper showed a tall, thin man being pushed into a police car with his hands behind his back. Other videos purportedly showing the aftermath of the attack were quickly deleted from social media platforms.
The stabbing is the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting students and schools in China, where guns are strictly controlled but knives are easily accessible.
In recent years, China has witnessed a rise in violent crime, which some experts attribute to social and economic disparities, mental health issues and lack of legal recourse. Some of the previous attacks include:
- In August 2020, three people were killed and six others injured in a knife attack at a kindergarten in Jiangxi province.
- In April 2021, two children were killed and 16 others injured when a man armed with a knife entered a kindergarten in Guangxi province.
- In June 2020, 37 students and two adults were wounded by a man wielding a knife at an elementary school in Hubei province.
These attacks have prompted authorities to increase security measures at schools and kindergartens and called for more research into the causes and prevention of such violence.