5 killed in knife attack at daycare center in Brazil

Three children, one teacher and one health worker were killed on Tuesday by an 18-year-old man who entered a daycare center wielding a knife in the town of Saudades in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, reported Xinhua, quoting the police.

The attacker, a resident of the town, was arrested after attempting suicide and was taken to a hospital in the neighboring city of Chapeco.

Commissioner Jeronimo Ferreira explained that the cause of the attack could not be determined at the moment.

The lone assailant, initially said to be 14 years old, arrived at the Aquarela daycare center on a bicycle and started chasing a teacher with the knife, according to Ferreira.

The teacher ran into a classroom where there were four children and a municipal health agent monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic.

The young man killed the teacher, three children and the health worker, the police chief told reporters.

Santa Catarina's interim governor Daniela Reinehr decreed a three-day mourning period and promised assistance to the families of the victims.