Man with axe goes on rampage at daycare center in southwest China

Pingnan - A man carrying an axe went on a rampage at a daycare center in southwest China. The man killed three children and injured several others.

According to the Globe and Mail (via the official Xinhua News Agency) the man killed three children and injured 13 others today after he entered a daycare center carrying an axe. This attack occurred in Pingnan county, located in the Guangxi province, during mid-day local time on Friday. The assailant has been caught, according to several media outlets. The man, who has identified only by his surname Wu, has been placed under arrest. Some reports said the man was described as being mentally ill. At this time the age of the victims is not known, reported BBC News. Since 2010, several attacks on children have occurred in China. In Sept. 2011, two children and four adults were killed with an axe near a school in Gongyi city, Henan province. The parents had reportedly been taking children to school when the attack occurred. Just a month prior to that 2011 attack, a knife-wielding man injured eight children and a daycare employee in the city of Shanghai. Additionally, there were a series of attacks that had occurred during the year 2010, including a doctor who stabbed eight children. According to the Globe and Mail, these attacks have "prompted calls" for closer attention to mental illnesses and rising stress in Chinese society. AFP reported violent crime has been on the rise as the country's economy booms and "pace of life becomes faster". AFP also cited the growing gap between rich and poor.