Two children killed and 16 people injured after stabbing rampage at Chinese kindergarten

Photos purportedly from the scene were posted on Chinese social media. Photo / Weibo

Two children are dead and 16 other people have been injured in a stabbing rampage at a kindergarten in China, state media reports.

A man with a knife attacked a kindergarten in southern China on Wednesday, killing two children and wounding 16 other people, state media reported.

The Xinhua news agency said the "knife-stabbing incident" took place in Beiliu, a city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region.

The BBC reports the suspect entered the kindergarten in the Xinfeng area of Beiliu at 2pm local time.

Sixteen children and two teachers were injured in the attack. Two children subsequently died of their injuries.

Police arrested a suspect and a probe of the attack is under way, the agency said.

Two children were killed in the horror knife rampage. Photo / Weibo

The Global Times reported 16 children were in hospital in Beiliu receiving medical attention.

Two children were undergoing surgery and the others were in a stable condition, according to Xinhua news agency.

Local police reportedly believe the 25-year-old suspect may be mentally ill.

Knife attacks are not uncommon in China, which heavily restricts access to firearms.

In 2018 a man who stabbed nine children to death and wounded another 11 in northern China was sentenced to death.