Man with ax kills 4 in central China attacks

BEIJING—Four people have been killed and two wounded by an ax-wielding man who attacked children and parents in central China.

A local government spokesman says villagers have identified the perpetrator of Wednesday morning’s attack on the outskirts of the city of Gongyi as a local farmer with a history of mental illness.

The spokesman says one young girl was among those killed while another was wounded. The spokesman declined to give his name, as is common among Chinese bureaucrats.

China has experienced a string of rampage attacks at schools and on city streets over recent months that left dozens dead and scores more wounded.

Last month, a worker slashed children with a knife at a daycare center for migrant workers in eastern China, wounding eight of them.