At least 39 people at a kindergarten in southern China were attacked by a school security guard Thursday. Local authorities in the city of Wuzhou, located in Guangxi province’s Cangwu county, said the security guard was armed with a knife, injuring 37 students and two adults.
Chinese state media outlet CCTV reported that the attacker, referred to as Li, had been detained and a police investigation was underway, according to the Associated Press. It was also reported that three people had been seriously injured, including the headmaster of the primary school, another security guard, and a student.
Students and a teacher practice a drill of a mock knife attack at a primary school in Jinan (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
The incident is the latest in a series of deadly attacks that have taken place at schools in China over the past several years. A man with a knife attacked students in Shaanxi province’s Mizhi county in April 2018, killing seven and injuring twelve schoolchildren. Later that year, an attack committed in October by a knife-wielding woman in the city of Chongqing left 14 children injured.
Government and law enforcement authorities across China have mainly blamed these attacks on people bearing grudges or people with mental illnesses. (RELATED: Get A Load Of This Chinese PSA On How To Avoid A Knife Attack)
CCTV reported Thursday that the Wuzhou municipal government had ordered a city-wide investigation to prevent further attacks from happening. Local authorities also mentioned that a work leadership group had been established by the mayor, consisting of medical, accident prevention, and psychological counseling teams.