BEIJING (AFP) - Two boys were beaten to death by a staff member at their school in southern China, state media reported on Friday, in the latest violent attack against children in the country.

A male employee of the school in Yulin, in the southeastern Guangxi Zhuang region, allegedly hit and critically injured the boys in their dormitory early on Wednesday, the Xinhua news agency said, citing unnamed local government sources.

The two students - both fifth-graders - died after being taken to hospital, it said.

The report did not mention the boys' ages but fifth-graders in China are normally around 11.

Police have detained the perpetrator, identified in the report only by his surname Liu. The case is still under investigation, Xinhua said.

China has seen several high-profile attacks against minors in recent years, including five incidents in 2010 which killed 15 children and two adults and wounded more than 80.

Chinese media reported on Thursday that a knife-wielding attacker killed two relatives and then slashed 11 people, including six children, outside a school in the country's commercial hub Shanghai.