Axe attacks

A 30-year-old man carried out the deadly assault in Henan province's Gongyi city in central China. One child and three adults were killed on the spot, while another child and one more adult died of their injuries in hospital, Gongyi local authorities said in a statement. "According to locals, the suspect, Wang Hongbin, has a history of mental health illness," it said. A report on a local news website said the adult victims were all parents taking their children to a kindergarten nearby.

Chinese authorities have been forced to increase security around schools after a series of violent assaults aimed at children. In many cases, the attackers were suspected of having mental health issues.

Increase of mental health problems

At the end of August, eight pupils were hurt when a staff member at a day care center for migrant workers' children in Shanghai went on a stabbing spree.

The female employee used a utility knife to slash at children aged between three and four years old at the "Little Happiness Star" nursery in an eastern suburb of the metropolis, according to local news reports. The suspect in that case was also believed to have suffered from mental health problems.

Last year, 17 people, 15 of them children were killed and more than 80 wounded in at least five major attacks at schools in China. Two of the attackers were executed and two others committed suicide. The suspect in the fifth attack was sentenced to death in June 2010.

Experts say that the assaults show that China is paying the price for focusing on economic growth while ignoring problems linked to rapid social change. Studies have described a rise in the prevalence of mental disorders in China. Some of them are linked to stress as the pace of life becomes faster and social support systems wither.

Author: Manasi Gopalakrishnan (AP, Reuters)
Editor: Sarah Berning