At least three children were killed and more than a dozen others injured yesterday in an arson attack on a village kindergarten in Shiguan, Henan province .
Police in the city of Gongyi said three children died when a classroom caught fire, but villagers claimed two died at the scene and three others died later in hospital.
Villagers also said about 10 of the most seriously injured victims were being treated last night at the Gongyi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and others with minor injuries had been transferred to hospitals in Zhengzhou .
Police said the fire was started by a 19-year-old local man, Bai Ningyang, who stormed into the kindergarten at about 9am, splashed two bottles of petrol around the room and locked the door from the outside.
Twenty-one children, all aged about five, were in the class at that time and the children's teacher was among the injured.
Police said they were still searching for the arsonist and did not suggest a motive for the attack.