Knife attack at hospital in China leaves at least two dead and many injured
At least two people were killed and several injured after a suspected knife attack at a hospital in China.
State media reported that the attack happened at the Zhenxiong County People’s Hospital in Zhaotong city, in the south-west of the country.
The official Xinhua News Agency said there were more than 10 casualties in what it called a "vicious assault" on Tuesday in Yunnan province.
An online post from Guizhou province television, citing unnamed authorities, said two had died and 23 people were injured.
A suspect has been arrested, the Guizhou TV post said.
A witness told online publication Red Star Newsn that he narrowly escaped the attack and that a doctor or doctors were among the injured.
Video from the witness showed people who were bleeding and had fallen to the ground, and one older person trying to help another, according to a social media post by the outlet.
A man with a knife killed six people and wounded one other last July at a kindergarten in southeastern China’s Guangdong province.
A teacher, two parents and three students were identified as the victims of the attack.
That attack came just a week after the Chinese education ministry released a notice to local authorities urging them to ensure student safety during the summer holidays.
There has been a spate of knife attacks at schools in China – where access to firearms is tightly regulated by the government – in recent years.
Violent crime in China has been on the rise as the economy has grown in recent decades, widening the gap between the rich and poor.
The Chinese government has largely attributed attacks to people bearing “grudges” against society with an aim to “wreak revenge”.
State officials have also suggested poor mental health of people suffering to adapt to a changing society and social stressors such as unemployment as reasons behind the killings.
However mental health resources in China remain limited, with the topic still stigmatised by communities.
