One student died due to blood loss while two others were injured when a group of knife-wielding men attacked high school students who were on their way home in Shaanxi Province, authorities confirmed.

The knife attack, which occurred at around 5:30 pm on Tuesday, was not immediately reported to the media until photos of injured students made their rounds on online discussion forum portals and websites.

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Yin Yixian, the chief administrator of the Hanbin district highschool in Ankang City, said the group of knife-wielding men attacked more than 10 students without provocation. The students were on their home from school when the attack occurred.

Other students who witnessed the attack immediately notified the police. Three students were rushed to the hospital but one, surnamed Huang, did not survive due to blood loss, said Yin.

Yin clarified that the incident was not a clash among students but was a case of assaults by knife-wielding strangers on defenseless students. Netizens earlier said the attack could be a case of clash among students at the school gate.

The police launched an investigation on the incident to determine what really occurred.

Yin brought reporters to the supposed site where the knife attack occurred, some one kilometer away from the school, but said blood stains had been washed away by heavy rain last Wednesday.

Last month, 29 people were killed by knife-wielding men at a Kunming railway station, in what was described as one of the most violent attacks in China for years.

The attack also left 130 people injured and authorities said the incident was well-planned and had links to terror groups. Four suspects were shot dead, one arrested and other are being sought.

Last year, the Guangdong police arrested a suspect who allegedly launched a knife attack on six primary school students. The man, surnamed Liao, was arrested almost 10 hours following the rampage. Police said the suspect was suffering from mental illness.