Shanghai: A man hacked eight students to death as they slept and injured four others after breaking into a High School dormitory in Central China early today (Nov 26, 2004), local police said.

The murders took place at the Second Senior High School in Ruzhou City of Henan province; 'Xinhua news agency' quoted local police as saying.

The knife-wielding attacker escaped from the spot after killing and was still at large. The murderer's physical features have been confirmed and further investigation in the case was underway, according to the police.

China has witnessed a series of recent attacks on school children. In October, a five-year-old boy and his teacher were killed at a Beijing kindergarten by a man trying to steal.

In September, a man with a knife and homemade bombs attacked 28 children in a kindergarten in East China's Suzhou city. No one was killed.

That same month, a man stabbed 25 children and kidnapped a nine-year-old girl at a primary school in Eastern Shandong province. He was executed earlier this week.

In August, a mentally ill caretaker killed one child and injured 17 others in a knife attack at a Beijing kindergarten, the State media reported.