Photo:Weibo

A man who stabbed six pedestrians to death and injured 14 others in East China's Anhui Province wanted to vent anger at society, said a latest report released by the local authority on Sunday.

The suspect, surnamed Wu, 25, who attacked passersby with a knife on a road in the city of Anqing, was pessimistic about life due to family reasons, causing him to vent his anger by stabbing others. Wu has been put in criminal detention. 

As of Sunday noon, six people had died, one of whom passed away in hospital due to severe illness. The other 14 injured are receiving treatment at hospital, according to the city government of Anqing. 

Local police are investigating the case.

China's Ministry of Public Security dispatched a working group to investigate the incident on Saturday night. The working group will guide and supervise local public security organs in their investigation of the case, a notice issued on the ministry's website said. 

At 4:29 pm on Saturday, Anqing city public security bureau's 110 service desk received a call reporting that a man at Renmin Road, a commercial pedestrian street, had stabbed pedestrians with a knife. The police rushed to the scene, arrested the attacker and sent the injured people to the hospital for treatment, read a notice released by local police on Saturday.

The attack resulted in the deaths of five people at the scene. All the injured were sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. From a video taken by pedestrians that went viral online, a man was seen lying on the ground with medics providing help.

Major officials in Anhui have called for stronger social governance and thorough investigation into the case to close loopholes in society.  

In the wake of the stabbing attack, the city issued an alert for blood donations, according to Anqing Red Cross Blood Center over the weekend. Long queues were seen at four major blood donation stalls set up by the blood center. 

University students also joined the efforts, with more than 1,000 students from Anqing Normal University giving blood by Saturday night, the university said.

Global Times