Eight dead, 17 hurt in stabbings at China college

Rampage by ex-student comes days after deadliest mass killing in the country in a decade

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A former student went on a stabbing rampage at a vocational college in eastern China on Nov 16, killing eight people and injuring 17 others, police said, just days after the deadliest mass killing in the country in a decade shocked Chinese society.

The attack took place in the evening at the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology in the city of Yixing in Jiangsu province, police in Yixing said in a statement, confirming the toll.

The suspect was apprehended at the scene and confessed to his actions, the police added.

The police said the suspect was a former student who was meant to graduate in 2024 but failed his exams.

"According to preliminary investigations, the suspect, surnamed Xu - male, 21 years old - attacked others after failing an exam and not receiving his graduation certificate, as well as being dissatisfied with his internship compensation," a statement by the Yixing Public Security Bureau said.

"He returned to the school to express his anger and commit these murders," it said, adding that the suspect had confessed and that the incident was being investigated.

The school offers courses to prepare students to work in industries including wire and cable manufacturing, interior design and marketing, according to its website.

The junior college and others like it are part of a drive to direct more young people into job-specific training instead of enrolling in oversubscribed universities.