At least three people have died and more than a dozen others were injured when a man began stabbing children and other passengers waiting for a bus in a residential district on the southern outskirts of Tokyo Tuesday morning.
Local media cited police saying the suspect, a man believed to be in his 40s or 50s, died shortly after he was apprehended in critical condition.
The attack took place near a bus stop in Kawasaki City on the outskirts of the capital, where the children were on their way to school, according to Kyodo news agency.
According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, a bus driver saw the man holding a knife in each hand while walking towards the bus. He started attacking the children and ran away after the driver yelled at him.
The man reportedly stabbed himself in the neck and subsequently died from the injuries.
The children are believed to be students at Caritas elementary school, a private Catholic institution in the city.
Japanese broadcaster NHK reports that police confirmed a young girl was among the fatalities, and later confirmed that a man in his 30s had also died due to his injuries.
Another 16 people, mostly children, are believed to have been injured in the attack. Earlier reports cited police saying the number of injured was 19.
In a televised statement, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed “strong indignation” over the attack and offered his condolences to victims of what he described as a “harrowing incident.”
No motive for the attack has yet been established.
Violent attacks are rare in Japan, which has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. But the country has seen some high-profile killings, including the stabbing of 19 at a disabled home in 2016.
This story is developing, please check back for updates.
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