A man attacked a group of pupils with a knife on Wednesday afternoon in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, killing two of them. Three others and a teacher were injured.

 

Local police say the incident occurred at 2:00 PM when the students and teacher, from the primary school attached to the No. 65 Middle School of the city, were waiting to cross the street in front of the school. Witnesses said the man dashed toward the group from the other side of the road when the pupils and teacher were at a zebra crossing.

 

"The whole thing lasted no more than two minutes. The man injured the teacher and several students with his knife," said a witness surnamed Liu, who was terrified by the scene.

 

One student died at the scene and the another in hospital, the police said. They added that the victims were about nine to ten years old.

 

Four others injured in the attack were in a stable condition, hospital sources said.

 

With the help of the passers-by police arrested the man. They say he's named Abuduhalik Mijiti and is of Uygur nationality. The 38-year-old is from Jiashi County of Xinjiang's Kashi Prefecture and lived in residential area near the school, the police said. It's not known why he attacked the group.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2006)