Four children were killed on Wednesday morning in a stabbing attack at a nursery in Blumenau, southern Brazil, a government source said. The murders were allegedly committed with a small axe, according to several media. “An individual entered the school with a bladed weapon and killed four children. There are also four wounded,” explained this source from the local government of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. The victims, three boys and a girl, were between the ages of 4 and 7, according to the G1 news site.
“It is with enormous sadness that I have been informed that an assassin has entered the private nursery Cantinho do Bom Pastor, in Blumenau, and attacked children and employees”, declared for his part the governor, Jorginho Mello, in a statement. The military police also announced that the suspect, a 25-year-old man, had surrendered to the authorities and had been taken into custody. The town hall of Blumenau decreed an official 30-day mourning and canceled classes at all municipal schools on Wednesday.
Multiplication of attacks in schools
Among the injured were two 5-year-old girls and two boys, 3 and 5 years old, all “in stable condition”, the local Santo Antonio hospital told AFP. In a testimony to the site of the daily Folha de S. Paulo, a crèche employee said she locked the room where the babies were to protect them from the assailant.
This new attack in a school has aroused great emotion throughout Brazil. The president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, immediately sent a message of condolence to the families, condemning this “monstrous” act. “There is no greater pain for a family than losing children, or grandchildren, especially in an act of violence against innocent and helpless children. My condolences to the families,” he tweeted.
Attacks on schools have increased in Brazil in recent years. In November, a 16-year-old boy killed four people at two schools in Aracruz, in the southeastern state of Espirito Santo. Last week, a 71-year-old teacher was stabbed to death by a student in Sao Paulo (southeast), the most populous city and economic capital of Brazil.