Man kills 8 school children in China

Eight schoolchildren have died and two others were injured in a "school-related criminal case" in central China, with a 40-year-old suspect arrested, local authorities said yesterday, the latest attack targeting an educational institution in the country.

The man was detained by police on the spot following Monday's incident in Chaoyangpo Village in Hubei province, according to a statement on the website of the government of Enshi city.

The local government is making "every effort" to organise the rehabilitation and treatment for the wounded, including psychological counselling, the statement said.

Officials did not say how the students were killed, but schools have been hit by a number of knife attacks in China in recent years, forcing authorities to step up security.