China knife attack wounds nine, one assailant shot dead by police

A knife attack in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou has left at least nine people wounded. One of the two assailants was shot dead by police while the other was arrested.

The attackers, armed with knives, went on a random stabbing spree at a train station in Guangzhou, Chinese authorities said. The attackers' motives have not yet been determined.

A statement from the police said the incident took place on Friday, 6 March at about 08:00 am during the rush hour. Photos circulating in Chinese social media showed grim images of the attack with blood-spattered pavements.

According to AFP, a video showed a policeman with a long baton confronting an assailant wielding a cleaver.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. On earlier occasions, Chinese officials had blamed the Uighur Muslim minority for such knife attacks. Lone-wolf knife attacks owing to other reasons have also been reported.

The authorities' efforts to crack down on such knife attacks have gone in vain.

In a mass stabbing incident at the Kunming train station last March, 29 people lost their lives and dozens of others were wounded.