Man, 54, ‘slashes’ more than a dozen children outside a primary school in ‘a random attack’ in China
- Pupils were attacked while they are going back to school after lunch yesterday
- At least 17 were ‘harmed’ but are now in stable condition, local government said
- Suspect, said to be a local resident, was apprehended by police at the scene
- He chose his targets randomly before slashing the youngsters, report claimed
A middle-aged man yesterday attacked more than a dozen pupils outside a primary school in northern China.
The suspect, 54, was captured at the scene after the bloody attack during lunch time in Tangshan, Hebei Province.
No fatalities have been reported. At least 17 children were ‘harmed’ and they are now in stable condition, according to the local government.
Footage circulating online shows a man, believed to be the perpetrator, lying on a street with blood stains next to him. Schoolchildren were wounded in an attack in China yesterday
Another video clip shows the man, thought to be the suspect, being tackled at the scene
The incident took place at 13:26pm yesterday outside the Guanghua Avenue Primary School in the city’s Fengrun District, the district’s press office said in a social media statement.
The children were going back to school after the lunch break when they were assaulted, the statement said.
Police were dispatched to the scene at once, and the injured pupils were immediately taken to the hospital, the authority said.
One video shows schoolchildren crying in a classroom after the shocking incident as their teacher console them. At least 17 children were ‘harmed’, according to the local government
Authorities said the wounded youngsters were immediately taken to the hospital and are now in stable condition. Social media footage appears to show medics treating the pupils
The culprit has been identified as a local resident named Cui Zhengjiang. Police are yet to reveal his motives.
The Tangshan authority did not explain how the children were attacked. The official statement only said they were ‘harmed’.
But according to Hong Kong-based news outlet HK01, boys and girls were slashed and the suspect had chosen his targets randomly.
Footage circulating on social media shows a man, believed to be the perpetrator, being arrested by police on a blood-stained street.
Other clips show a teacher consoling crying pupils and hospital staff treating wounded children.
Tangshan is a major city in the province of Hebei near Beijing and has nearly eight million residents.
Police are carrying out further investigation into the case.
The attack occurred yesterday in Tangshan (pictured) in northern China’s Hebei Province
Tangshan is a major city in Hebei Province near Beijing and has nearly eight million residents
Violent crime is rare in China but there has been a series of knife and axe attacks in recent years, many targeting children.
Last month, a 49-year-old school worker injured 20 children with a hammer inside a primary school in Beijing. Three children suffered serious injuries.
Also last month, a Chinese court executed a farmer who attacked 12 children with a kitchen knife at a kindergarten in southern China two years ago.