A preschool in China on March 2, 2021 (illustration). – Chu Baorui / Costfoto / Sipa USA / S
It was a real drama that played out around 2 p.m. on Wednesday in the Guangxi Autonomous Region. A man armed with a knife attacked a kindergarten in Beiliu, southern China, killing two children and injuring 16 people including two teachers.
A suspect has been arrested and an investigation is underway, state news agency Xinhua said. On social networks, videos filmed after the attack show the violence suffered by children. In the playground, among the slides and swings, some students are bloody, while others lying on the ground do not move.
“Mentally ill”
According to local media, the suspected man is around 25 years old. His motivations are not yet known but according to the Global Times which relays information from Jimu News local police say the man “could be mentally ill”. On Twitter, videos of his arrest are circulating. He can be seen being taken out of the school by two policemen.
Knife attacks are common in China, a country that strictly regulates access to firearms. In 2018, a man who stabbed nine children to death and injured 11 in northern China was sentenced to death.