Five people were killed after an 18-year-old man launched a machete attack in a Brazilian nursery, police said.
Victims include three toddlers (all reportedly under the age of two) and two staff.
According to a police statement, the attacker pointed his weapon at himself and was in danger at the hospital.
What is behind the attack in the small town of Saudade in Santa Catarina is not clear.
At the time of the incident, dozens of children were inside the building and were forced to hide, officials said. The fourth child is said to have been slightly injured.
Gendarmerie said at 10:35 local time (GMT 13:35), a man armed with a machete entered the nursery and received several phone calls from neighbors who reported attacking staff and children. It was.
According to police, the unnamed man first attacked the teacher at the entrance to the nursery. He reportedly took her to one of the rooms, where he also turned on the children.
The nursery is located in the heart of Saudade, a town with a population of about 9,000, and cares for children under the age of three, according to GloboNews.
“I heard a scream [and] I shout for help. ” One employee, Aline Biazebetti, who was near the nursery at the time of the attack, told AFP.
“I went out and saw a colleague asking for help.’Call the police. An armed man is coming in and killing the children,'” she said.
At a press conference on Tuesday, a police officer described the attacker’s weapon as “samurai style” and showed it to reporters.
In Santa Catarina, a three-day memorial has been declared.
In Brazil, there have been fatal attacks in schools so far, but they are mainly targeting older students.
In 2011, 12 children were killed and 22 were seriously injured When a 23-year-old ex-student fired at a school in Rio.Victims ranged in age from 12 to 14 years
And two years ago, in March 2019, Two young shooters killed five studentsSchool administrator and teacher at Raul Brazil School near São Paulo.