An unidentified man wielding a knife killed eight students and
injured four others Thursday night at the No. 2 Senior Middle
School in Ruzhou City, central China's Henan
Province.
Local police say that the man broke into the boys' dormitory at
11:45 PM Thursday carrying the knife that he used to stab eight
sleeping students to death and wound another four. The police did
not receive a report of the emergency until 2:00 AM Friday.
The killer escaped from the school and remains at large.
Local police have a description of the suspect and are working
to identify him. They are also still confirming identities of
all?of the victims and attempting to determine the cause of
the attack.
The incident follows a string of school knife attacks and
kidnappings around the country that has left two small children and
one teacher dead, and dozens of others wounded.
The incidents prompted President Hu Jintao to issue a directive
in September ordering all schools to hire guards and tighten
security.
Henan schools have already seen their share of tragedy this
year. A middle school classroom collapsed in July, injuring 20, and
a kindergarten collapsed in August, killing two and injuring
28.
Ruzhou, located about 100 kilometers southwest of the provincial
capital of Zhengzhou, has administrative authority over about
900,000 citizens, most of whom live in rural areas.
(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn November 26, 2004)