Knife-wielding hijacker uses bus as ram in Fujian

Eight people died and 22 were injured after a man armed with a knife stabbed people and hijacked a bus that he used to ram passersby and vehicles in Longyan, Fujian province on Tuesday afternoon, Xinhua News Agency reported.

A witness was quoted as saying that the suspect used the bus as a weapon against pedestrians and vehicles in a 400-meter stretch of Denggao Middle Road to Jiuyi South Road in the city's Xinluo district.

Local police took a suspect into custody surnamed Qiu, 48, who is unemployed and lives in Xinluo district.

A preliminary investigation showed that Qiu was involved in disputes with neighborhood committee officials. The conflict escalated when the officials visited his home on Tuesday, which was followed by the rampage, officials said.

The police blocked the two roads, where bits of broken glass and other signs of the collisions were still clearly visible, the agency said.

All 22 people injured in the incident, which took place at about 3 pm, were hospitalized, with one reported to be in serious situation.

A report on the provincial radio station said the bus driver, despite being injured by the suspect, was able to open the door, let all the passengers off and set the emergency brake before escaping from the bus.

The suspect then took control of the bus and drove it into the pedestrians and vehicles, according to the report.