PICTURES

Knife-wielding attacker kills two, slashes 11 outside Shanghai school

SHANGHAI (AFP) - A knife-wielding attacker killed two relatives and then slashed 11 people, including six children, outside a school in China's commercial hub of Shanghai, state media said Thursday.

The man, whose surname was given as Zang, killed his sister and his sister's mother-in-law at their home in a family dispute over money on Wednesday, the Shanghai Daily newspaper said.

Zang then attacked parents and children outside an elementary school in the suburban district of Fengxian just as classes were let out, it said.

"I saw four people lying on the ground near the school with blood over their arms, legs - almost every part of them," the newspaper quoted a witness as saying.

Parents and others brought the attacker to the ground as he tried to flee, then beat and kicked him to subdue him, it said.

Police said in a statement the 11 injured were all in stable condition and an investigation was under way.

China has seen several violent attacks against children in recent years, including a spate of five incidents in 2010 which killed 15 children and two adults and wounded more than 80.

The incidents have forced authorities to increase security around schools and led to calls for more research into the root causes of such acts.

In 2011, eight children were hurt after a woman with psychiatric problems working at a Shanghai day care centre went on a stabbing spree.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.