Kindergarten stabbing in China's Guangdong province leaves six dead, one injured

New Delhi: Six individuals have lost their lives and one person injured in a stabbing at a kindergarten in China's southeastern Guangdong province, according to local authorities and a report by the AFP news agency, quoting a spokeswoman for the city government.

The BBC has learned from the police that a 25-year-old man with the surname Wu has been apprehended in connection with the attack.

The victims of this heinous act include a teacher, two parents, and three students. The assault occurred on Monday at approximately 07:40 local time with the suspect being immediately arrested.

Law enforcement officials have categorized this incident as a case of "intentional assault." While violent crimes are relatively uncommon in China, there has been a concerning rise in knife attacks in recent years, some of which have taken place within educational institutions.

Last August, a knife-wielding assailant targeted a kindergarten in the southeastern Jiangxi province, resulting in three fatalities and six injuries.

Similarly, in April 2021, a mass stabbing in Beiliu City, located in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, claimed the lives of two children and left 16 others wounded.

Another distressing incident occurred in October 2018 when a knife attack in southwest China's Chongqing city left 14 children injured at a kindergarten.

Authorities are currently investigating the motives behind the Guangdong province kindergarten stabbing, as the community mourns the loss of innocent lives and grapples with the aftermath of this shocking act of violence.