China: 8 killed, 17 injured in stabbing spree by student in Wuxi

At least eight people were killed and 17 others injured Saturday in a knife attack at a vocational school in eastern China, and the suspect was arrested at the scene, police said.

The attack took place in the evening at the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology in Jiangsu province, police in the city of Yixing said, confirming the toll, AFP reported.

“According to preliminary investigations, the suspect, surname Xu - male, 21 years old, a 2024 graduate of the college - attacked others after failing an exam and not receiving his graduation certificate, as well as being dissatisfied with his internship compensation,” a statement by the Yixing Public Security Bureau said.

It added that efforts were underway to treat the injured and investigate the case.

In Yixing, police said emergency services were fully mobilized to treat the wounded, and provide follow-up care for those affected by the attack.

Violent knife crime is not uncommon in China, where firearms are strictly controlled, but attacks with such a high death toll are relatively rare.

Earlier this week, a 62-year-old man killed 35 people and wounded more than 40 more when he rammed his small SUV into a crowd in the southern city of Zhuhai.

And there has been a spate of other attacks in recent months.

In October, in Shanghai, a man killed three people and wounded 15 others in a knife attack at a supermarket.

And the month before, a Japanese schoolboy was fatally stabbed in the southern city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong.

With inputs from agencies.