In the elementary school of Wanquan (Hunan) a man stabbed and injured two other children. In Jiaozuo (Henan) a teacher is accused of adding nitrites to the children’s breakfast.
Beijing (AsiaNews) - This morning, in Wanquan, Hunan, a man named Zheng stabbed four children in a primary school. Two died and two were injured in the hospital. At the moment there is no further news. Deadly attacks on children are the order of the day in the country. Last February, in Jiangsu, a 33-year-old man injured 11 people, including many school children and a policeman.
Two days ago, the police reported that they had arrested a kindergarten teacher from Jiaozuo (Henan) on charges of poisoning at least 23 children. The incident occurred last March 27 at Mengmeng, a private kindergarten. The children, who had had breakfast of "zhou" - cooked rice with added herbs - began to feel sick, to vomit and to faint. The children were taken to the hospital and up until two days ago there was still one hospitalized with severe symptoms.
An initial police investigation revealed that the children had ingested nitrites, a chemical additive contained in fertilizers, which can cause liver and kidney damage. The arrested teacher, whose last name is Wang, has not explained the reasons for the gesture so far.
Mengmeng is a kindergarten for lower classes, which gathers up to 64 children, mostly children of migrants. The police closed the building for the investigation.
The treatment of children in kindergartens is a widespread problem in the country. Two years ago in Beijing, a private kindergarten was accused of violence and using needles (perhaps to inject tranquilizing substances) on schoolchildren. Last October, a woman who entered a kindergarten stabbed 14 children in Chongqing.