8 killed, 22 hurt as knife-wielding man hijacks bus in southeast China

At least eight people, including a policeman, were killed on Tuesday when a bus ploughed into pedestrians and other road users in a southeast China city after a knife-wielding man attacked its driver.

The incident happened about 3.20pm in a busy district of Longyan, Fujian province, and at least 22 people are thought to have been injured.

According to a CCTV report, the suspect was a 48-year-old surnamed Qiu, who came from the local area and is thought to be unemployed.

Police did not identify the attacker but said a suspect had been arrested.

Photographs shared online showed people lying injured on the ground, while video footage showed a man being wrestled to the ground.

The motive for the attack has yet to be established, but the CCTV report said Qiu had been involved in a dispute with local officials earlier in the day over health care for his father.

That ended in him attacking and killing an unnamed individual before jumping on to the bus and hijacking it, the report said.

A woman surnamed Li who works at a local restaurant said she heard a bang about 3pm and went to investigate.

“I saw the bus crashing into cars and motorcycles, without braking,” she said.

The bus eventually came to a stop in front of Longyan People’s Hospital close to where Li worked.

“A man with a knife came out of the bus and the police surrounded him and took him down,” she said.