A man invaded a daycare center with a hatchet and killed four children and injured at least three others in southern Brazil, authorities have said.
Santa Catarina state’s Gov. Jorginho Mello confirmed the killings in the city of Blumenau on his Twitter account, adding that a man has been arrested.
Police said a 25-year-old man had been arrested.
Hospital Santo Antonio in the city of Blumenau said four children aged zero to two were under medical care there after the attack.
Images broadcast on television showed weeping parents outside the private daycare center, named Cantinho do Bom Pastor. Local media reported the attacker scaled a wall to enter the daycare center wielding a hatchet.
School attacks in Brazil had been uncommon, but have begun happening with greater frequency in recent years. Last week, a student in Sao Paulo stabbed a teacher, killing her, and also wounded several others in Sao Paulo.
“May God comfort the hearts of all families in this moment of deep pain,” Gov. Mello wrote on Twitter.
Blumenau, a city of 366,000 people, is famous for its annual Oktoberfest festival.
More to come on this breaking story…
