Eight killed in China school attack

A former doctor armed with a large knife killed eight children and injured five others today at an elementary school in eastern…

A former doctor armed with a large knife killed eight children and injured five others today at an elementary school in eastern China.

The assailant was arrested after the 7:20 a.m. attack, Xinhua News Agency said. He is a former community clinic doctor with a history of mental health problems.

Eight children from Nanping City Experimental Elementary School were killed, and five were being treated at a hospital, Wu said. Six died at the scene.

The attacker, who is 41 or 42, had resigned from his post at the community clinic, an official said, but he wasn't sure when.

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The school, located in Fujian province, was closed and students were sent home.

China has witnessed a series of school attacks over the past several years, which are often blamed on personal grudges or people with psychiatric problems, leading to calls for improved security.

AP