Massive manhunt in China after 4 kids stabbed to death on way to school

USPA News - A massive manhunt involving more than 2,000 people continued Saturday after four boys were stabbed to death while on their way to a primary school in southern China, authorities said. The killings come just weeks after three children were stabbed to death in a separate school incident in China.

The latest attack took place at about 6:20 a.m. local time on Friday when four boys were stabbed while on their way to a primary school in Pingshan town of Lingshan county, which is located in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Three of the boys died at the scene while the fourth died after being rushed to hospital. "After the incident, the county initiated contingency plans for major criminal cases to ensure a timely response," said Huang Yan Fen, a spokesman for the county government. He said the attack is believed to have been carried out by a 56-year-old local name surnamed Shi, whose red three-wheeled motorcyle was found abandoned about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the scene. More than 600 police officers from across the region were mobilized throughout Friday to carry out a search for Shi, and the total number of people searching - including volunteers - grew to more than 2,000 by early Saturday, but there was no sign yet of the attacker. Huang said a reward of 100,000 Chinese Yuan ($16,321) had been issued to help locate the suspect. The fatal stabbings came less than a month after a man identified only as Chen stormed into a classroom at a primary school in central Hubei province and stabbed three children to death. Six others, including a teacher, were injured. Chen, who was apparently upset about his daughter`s school registration being rejected, later jumped to death from the school building. China has seen a number of violent attacks involving knives in recent years, many of them targeting schoolchildren. Seven people were stabbed to death in May when a man went on a stabbing spree in his village in central China, just a day after eight children were injured in a stabbing spree at an elementary school elsewhere in the region.