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FOUR people have been killed by a crazed knifeman in a rampage at a hospital in Shanghai as terrified medics and patients were seen fleeing for their lives.
Cops from the Huangpu district police raced to Ruijin Hospital on Saturday morning following reports of a stabbing.
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Police who raided the hospital in the capital reportedly found the attacker holding a crowd of people hostage.
They opened fire after the man threatened to harm the patients.
His condition is not known, although he was reportedly “subdued” by the shots.
Police said in a statement: “The police quickly arrived on the scene and discovered a man holding a group of people hostage with a knife on the hospital’s seventh floor.
“When the suspect intended to injure the hostages and punish the police, the police decisively fired a shot to injure and subdue him.”
The statement added that four people who were treated for their injuries showed “no vital signs”.
Currently, the attacker’s motive remains unknown.
Videos on social media show scenes of chaos as visitors clambered under turnstiles to flee.
Doctors were seen pushing patients out in wheelchairs.
One person was pulled from the building on a mobile bed.
A short clip posted on Twitter shows a trail of blood on a flight of stairs.
In another video published by Chinese media, cops can be seen frantically trying to break into a locked room in the hospital.
Another heavily circulated social media video showed over a dozen distressed members of the public running out of the building.
One local who had arrived at the hospital for an appointment as the building was sealed off said: “It’s very shocking.
“What has happened to this society?”
Mass violent crime is rare in China, which strictly prohibits citizens from owning firearms, but knife attacks do happen occasionally.
Last month, a 23-year-old man in the eastern city of Ningbo died after being violently stabbed on the street in broad daylight.
Video of the attack near a bus stop went viral on social media.
In recent years, a string of fatal knife attacks targeting kindergarten and school students have occurred nationwide, carried out by people reportedly wishing to wreak revenge on society.
Violence is comparatively common in hospitals in China.
The country’s health system is exploited by touts who illegally trade appointment tickets, while corruption can force up the cost of care.
Patients in need of treatment also face long queues to see medics.
This morning’s attack comes as Shanghai gradually lifts a two-month Covid lockdown.
HORROR HOSPITAL ATTACK
China is pursuing a “zero Covid” strategy that has fuelled huge frustration as businesses are forced to shut down for weeks at a time.
President Xi Jinping, who is expected to secure a precedent-breaking third term later this year, says China should not treat the virus as endemic – as much of the world now does.
Shanghai’s 26million residents have been ordered to get tested every weekend until the end of the month.
Despite the strict screening programme, cases in the city are continuing to rise.
On Friday, 59 new infections were reported, increasing from Thursday’s 45. It’s the highest number since late May.
Nationwide, China reported 371 local cases for Friday, down from 378 the previous day
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