Stabbing spree in China leaves multiple casualties; incident censored

Multiple people were reportedly killed and injured in a stabbing attack in the Chinese city of Shenyang, according to media reports and videos circulating online, but authorities have not announced any casualty figures and information about the incident is being censored on social media.

The attack happened at about 4 p.m. Friday near Taiyuan Street in Shenyang’s Heping District, according to The Epoch Times. Taiyuan Street is one of the city’s main commercial areas.

The Epoch Times, citing local residents, said a man armed with a blade attacked people along the street in at least two locations near an elementary school.

One witness told the outlet that six people were killed and more than 10 others were injured, while another said he saw five or six people lying on the ground and that several appeared to have died.

A witness, quoted by The Epoch Times under a pseudonym, said one victim was decapitated at the scene. Another witness said the attacker moved down about 100 meters (330 feet) of the street, stabbing people at random.

The outlet said the suspect later jumped from a building and died. No official statement had been issued by local authorities, and no confirmed casualty toll was available.

Videos and comments about the attack spread online before being removed, according to The Epoch Times. The outlet said comments under a video about traffic on Taiyuan Street were wiped within hours, and that related footage and discussion were being blocked on Chinese social media platforms.

The reported attack came just days after another heavily censored incident in China, when a driver of heavy machinery reportedly plowed into a crowded market in Beijing’s Fangshan District on March 29, causing an unconfirmed number of deaths and injuries.