Seven children hacked to death at China kindergarten

SEVEN children and a teacher were hacked to death and at least 20 others injured today at a kindergarten in China's north-west Shaanxi province.

The shocking attack in the Nanzheng county of Hanzhong city was the latest in a string of attacks on schools.

The killings occurred despite a countrywide increase in security at schools, with additional police and guards posted at school gates.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the attack happened at 8am (1am BST).

Liu Xiaoming, deputy director of the propaganda department of Hanzhong city, said: "The murderer killed himself afterwards."

The man who carried out the attack was believed to have been in his late 40s and the owner of the house in which the kindergarten was located.

The attack is the fifth major incident at schools and kindergartens since late March, sparking security fears among parents, officials and education chiefs.

Sociologists say the attacks reflect a lack of support for the mentally ill and rising stress resulting from huge social inequalities in China's fast-changing society.