The attack took place at around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology, Xinhua news agency reported.

The 21-year-old suspect, surnamed Xu, was caught at the scene and he confessed to his crime, according to a statement released by the public security bureau of Yixing.

According to the police, Xu, a graduate of the school this year, returned to the school to vent his anger for not receiving his graduation certificate due to failing exams and for dissatisfaction with his internship pay.

Rescue efforts are underway, and police are further investigating the case.

Videos circulating on Western social media platforms, including X, showed injured people lying on the street after the attack while others rushed to help. A keyword search on the Chinese social media platform Weibo turned up no related videos or images of the attack.

The incident comes days after a driver rammed his car into groups of people outside a sports centre in the southern city of Zhuhai, killing 35 people and injuring 43 others.