At least four children have been killed after a man armed with an ax burst into a kindergarten in Brazil.
The 25-year-old arrived at the Blumenau preschool in Santa Catarina on his motorbike before jumping over a wall and storming the building.
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The Cantinho do Bom Pastor School in the Velha area is for babies up to two years old.
Video shared online shows emergency services outside the school as parents escort their children away.
Other footage that was too gruesome to show seemed to show bodies under the sheets in the playground.
Authorities say the suspected attacker killed four children before surrendering to police.
The young victims were three boys and a girl aged 5 to 7 years old. G1 report.
The fifth child is said to be in serious condition while four other injured people have been taken to Santo Antonio hospital.
Police said a 25-year-old man responsible for the attack has been arrested.
Police are currently working to determine if anyone else was involved in the attack.
Television images showed parents crying outside the private daycare centre.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called the attack a “monstrosity”, calling it an “unacceptable and unreasonable act of hate and cowardice” towards “innocent, incapable children” self-defense,” in a Twitter post.
Santa Catarina Governor Jorginho Mello confirmed the Blumenau murder on his Twitter account.
“I am deeply saddened to receive the terrible news that Good Shepherd Kindergarten in Blumenau has been attacked by a murderer, attacking children and staff.
“Unfortunately, four people have been killed,” he said in a statement, declaring three days of national mourning.
Last week, a student in Sao Paulo stabbed a teacher to death and injured several others.
“May God comfort the hearts of all families during this time of profound pain,” Governor Mello wrote on Twitter.
Blumenau, a city of 366,000 people, is famous for its annual Oktoberfest.
