20 injured in Beijing school attack

A disgruntled maintenance worker at a downtown Beijing primary school attacked and injured 20 students with a hammer Tuesday, according to local authorities.

Policemen stand guard outside Xuanwu Normal Experimental Affiliated Number One Primary School, after 20 primary school pupils were wounded in an attack at the school in Beijing on January 8, 2019. [Photo: IC]

Police said the 49-year-old man, surnamed Jia, was a contract worker in charge of maintenance at Beijing No. 1 Affiliated Elementary School of Xuanwu Normal School.

Jia's employment contract was due to expire at the end of January, and the school and labor dispatch company were discussing the arrangement of Jia's new position.

In a bout of fury, Jia attacked the students at 11:17 a.m. using a hammer he worked with. He was caught at the scene.

All the injured students were hospitalized. Among them, three were seriously injured but are now in stable condition.

Further investigation is underway.