Six killed in kindergarten stabbing in China

Police say a 25-year-old man has been arrested

A police cordon after a stabbing at a kindergarten in Lianjiang county, Guangdong province, China, on Monday. Reuters

Six people were killed and one person was injured during an attack on a kindergarten in China's Guangdong province on Monday, police said.

Police said they have apprehended a 25-year-old man.

News outlet Dafeng News cited an unidentified witness as saying the attacker’s child had been struck earlier by the car of one of the people who was killed at the school.

The victims include one teacher, two parents and three children, a city government representative told AFP.

Media reported the attack in Lianjiang County was a stabbing. Police said they were investigating the incident and had detained a man with the surname Wu, from Lianjiang.

No other details were immediately available.

China strictly prohibits citizens from owning firearms, but there has been a spate of stabbings in recent years.

The number of fatal attacks in schools has risen in recent years, prompting authorities to step up security around schools.

The latest news sparked debate on the Weibo social media platform. By 1.50pm it was the top-trending discussion, with 290 million views.

Some social media users called for the suspect to face the death penalty.

"It's outrageous to do this to children who have no power at all. How many families will be destroyed by this ... I support the death penalty," one Weibo user said.

Another user questioned security at schools, especially after similar attacks in the past.

"Why do such cases still continue to emerge?"

In August last year, three people were killed and six wounded in a stabbing at a kindergarten in the southern province of Jiangxi.

In 2021, a man killed two children and wounded 16 at a kindergarten in the southwestern region of Guangxi.

In 2017, a 22-year-old man set off an explosive device outside a kindergarten in Jiangsu province, killing himself and a few others while wounding dozens.