Beijing, Nov 19 (PTI) Several children were injured when an SUV rammed into groups of parents and students outside a primary school in China’s Hunan province on Tuesday, the third incident of killing of civilians within a fortnight in the country.
The incident took place in Changde city at around 7:30 am local time. The casualty count is not clear and authorities are yet to clarify if it was an accident or a deliberate attack.
According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, multiple students were injured after being struck by the car.
The injured have been rushed to a hospital. Further investigation is underway, it said.
Video footage posted on social media showed screaming children and parents frantically running for cover to escape the speeding car. Later angry parents were seen beating up the driver after his capture.
Police have detained a 39-year-old man surnamed Huang who was driving the car.
This is the third incident of killings or attacks in China by people in vehicles or wielding knives.
On November 12, thirty-five people were killed and 43 injured when a man ploughed his car into a crowd of people at a sports centre in Zhuhai city. Police who detained a man called Fan said his actions stemmed from his dissatisfaction with the property division outcome of his divorce. Following the incident, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang have called on officials all over the country to step up security to prevent such attacks on civilians.
On November 16, eight persons were killed and 17 injured in a knife attack at a vocational school in Yixing city of Jiangsu province. The 21-year-old suspect, surnamed Xu, who was caught later confessed to police that he was angry over not receiving his graduation certificate due to failing exams and was dissatisfied with his internship pay.
Following the recurring attacks, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) -- the highest national agency responsible for legal prosecution and prosecutorial investigation in China -- has pledged stern, strict and swift punishment for major vicious crimes to maintain social stability and enhance the public's sense of safety and well-being.
According to an official statement, the SPP stressed a zero-tolerance approach toward crimes targeting students and compromising school safety.
The meeting underscored the importance of prosecuting such cases decisively and swiftly to deliver a powerful deterrent effect. It highlighted that prosecutorial bodies are critical in preventing and resolving risks and maintaining social stability through case handling.
The meeting also urged prosecutors to resolve disputes at their source through legal channels at every stage of case handling, to defuse potential risks before they escalate.
China has been witnessing numerous attacks on civilians which are mostly attributed by police to disgruntled elements in the society. Most of such attacks this year targeted primary schools.
Last month, five people, including three children, were stabbed near a primary school in Beijing’s Haidian district. Similarly, three people, including two students, were injured by a 60-year-old knife-wielding man in Guangzhou city.
In May, two people were killed and 10 others injured in a knife attack at a primary school in Jiangxi province.