Wuxi stabbing: Eight dead and at least 17 injured in mass stabbing at college in China

Police are investigating whether the suspect, believed to be a recent graduate, carried out the attack after he failed an exam and was denied a graduation certificate

At least eight people have been killed and 17 others injured in a stabbing spree at a university campus.

Police in Wuxi, in Yixing county, eastern China, said the stabbing happened at the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology at about 6:30pm today (local time). The suspect is believed to be a recent graduate and police are investigating whether his failing of an exam was motivation for the attack.

A police statement obtained by CNN said: "Around 6:30 p.m. on November 16, 2024, a stabbing incident that resulted in casualties occurred at Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology in Yixing city, causing 8 deaths and injuring another 17, The suspect was apprehended on the scene."

The statement added the suspect did not receive a graduation certificate and was dissatisfied with "internship compensation." An investigation into the mass stabbing has been launched.

The stabbing spree is the latest of several attacks targeting many people that have been carried out in recent months in China. On Monday, 35 people were killed and 43 injured when a motorist drove into a crowd exercising at a sports centre in Guangdong, southern China.

Emergency services rushed to the scene of the attack following reports several people were "knocked to the ground." The victims were believed to be middle-aged and elderly people who were using the track.

Harrowing footage shared online showed multiple people injured as they lay on the ground. Stunned onlookers stood at the scene as people checked the victims while others appeared to be running and shouting in the background.

In a post on Twitter, user @whyyoutouzhele wrote: "Breaking news! Around 8pm on November 11th, Zhuhai Sports Center. An off-road vehicle rushed into the sports center's track in an apparent act of revenge, hitting a group of people who were walking and exercising.

"The video showed that a large number of people were knocked to the ground and some people shouted terrorists." The post continued: "It is reported that most of the people who were hit were wearing the same clothes and were a group of middle-aged and elderly people who were exercising on the track. Medical staff are treating the injured, and staff at the scene are persuading onlookers to leave and ask them not to take pictures."

Police officers "surrounded" the vehicle as the driver reportedly attempted to flee. According to local media, police apprehended a man with the surname Fan and took him into custody for allegedly driving into pedestrians.

The driver was reportedly found in possession of a knife with wounds, believed to be self-inflicted. Police are investigating whether a divorce and the splitting of financial assets were a motivation for the attack.

Last month, a 50-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly knifed children at a school in Beijing. In September, a knife attack at a supermarket in suburban Shanghai resulted in three deaths and 15 people being injured.

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