A mysterious knifeman slashed 10 children outside a primary school before killing himself in southern city of Haikou, the local police announced. The shocking incident took place on Monday afternoon.

According to media reports, none of the 10 children suffered life-threatening injuries. Nonetheless, two children are said to be seriously hurt and are undergoing medical treatment.

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An officials at Haikou's Longhu police station confirmed that schoolchildren were attacked as they were walking outside Yang Fan Primary School during their lunch period. However, he refused to reveal any further details.       

The shocking incident on Monday brought back memories of a spate of knife attacks that were taking place across China roughly five years back. Interestingly, children were the main target in most of those attacks.     

The most brutal attack took place in 2010 in Fujian province when a 42-year-old man knifeman stabbed eight children to death. Exactly four years later, three children were hacked to death in Hubei province and a week later four more were stabbed to death in Guangxi province      

The attacks, which were allegedly carried out by people suffering from severe mental illness, sparked outrage among Chinese parents, demanding extra security for their children in schools.

The mass knife attacks even prompted nationwide discussions, with Chinese authorities clamping down on the media for fear of copycat attack. Internet discussions on the topic were also blocked.

Chinese leaders later publicly acknowledged that these knife attacks reflected underlying social tensions within Chinese society.

Since gun ownership in China is tightly regulated, knives and cleavers are heavily used to perpetuate mass attacks.       

Tagsknife attack China, Crime in China