china stabbing
© HandoutWitnesses said the attacker appeared to have mental health problems.
Sixteen children and two teachers were hurt on Tuesday when a knife-wielding man ran amok in a kindergarten in southern China.

Two of the youngsters suffered "relatively serious" injuries, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV.

The incident happened at a school in the city of Beilu in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the report said, adding that police had detained a suspect and were investigating the cause of the attack.

The Jimu News website identified the attacker as a 25-year-old man and quoted witnesses as saying he appeared to have mental health problems.

china stabbing
© HandoutTwo of the children suffered "relatively serious" injuries, according to China's state broadcaster CCTV.
In a post on its Weibo social media account the website said the kindergarten was in the town of Xinfeng, which has a population of about 50,000 people.

When the public realised what was happening, a group of people armed with sticks encircled the attacker to stop him from escaping while they waited for the police to arrive, the report said.

Images shared online showed children bleeding from their wounds and being taken to hospital for treatment.

Others showed members of the public queuing up to donate blood in response to an appeal sent out by the local authorities.