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Chinese police hunt for man who stabbed 2 students

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The Associated Press Updated 12:10 AM Wednesday, February 8, 2012

BEIJING — Police in eastern China are hunting for a knife-wielding man who broke into a middle school Wednesday and stabbed two students before fleeing, local officials said.

The victims were not seriously wounded and no motive was given for the attack, which echoes a string of such assaults against schoolchildren in early 2010 that killed nearly 20 and wounded more than 50.

The latest attack happened just before 7 a.m. (2300 GMT) when students had arrived at the No. 1 Middle School in Nanchang city in Jiangxi province, according to the official website run by the city's party propaganda department and city news office.

It said the man attacked a female first-year student, who escaped after being wounded, and then assaulted a second-year male student. It said the two, aged about 13 and 14, were taken to a hospital but were not seriously wounded.

The statement said city officials had ordered police to "spare no effort" in hunting for the attacker.

Calls to the city police and government offices rang unanswered Wednesday, as did a call to the school.

School safety in China came under scrutiny in 2010 when the random string of stabbings took place around the country. The attacks prompted Chinese authorities to tighten security at schools. Police and guards were posted at entrances and video surveillance and intruder alarms were installed on some school premises.

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February 08, 2012 05:05 AM EST

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