Man burns himself to death after attacking children

Last Updated: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:33:00 +1000

Chinese state media says a man has burned himself to death after he injured five children with a hammer at a kindergarten class.

Two children were pulled away from the man after he poured gasoline and set himself on fire, according to Xinhua. All five injured students are in a stable condition in hospital.

The attack in Weifang in coastal Shandong province was the third attack in three days on Chinese schoolchildren, and the fifth in recent weeks.

On Thursday, a 46-year-old salesman stabbed 29 children, two teachers and a security guard at a kindergarten in Taixing in Jiangsu Province.

Earlier this week, a former doctor was executed for killing eight school children in Fujian province in March. On the afternoon of his execution, a teacher stabbed 16 students and a teacher at a primary school in southern Guangdong province.

Observers say the number of incidents suggests some attackers are engaging in copycat crimes.

There have been public calls for more measure to protect school children in a country where many couples only have one child.

The Ministry of Education has set up an experts panel to handle "emergency public incidents", and police have been sent to guard schools in some Chinese cities.

The latest incident took place as the Chinese government was tightening security ahead of the gala opening of the World Expo in Shanghai.

Language News