An unhinged man carried out a knife attack at a Chinese elementary school on Tuesday, killing at least eight kids on their first day of class, authorities said.

The 40-year-old man, whose last name is Yu, launched the attack in the school at about 8 a.m. in Hubei province, police said in a statement.

In addition to the eight kids slain in the attack, two children were injured, according to police.

Names and ages of the children were not immediately released.

The suspect was taken into custody at the scene. A motive in the killings was not known.

Knife attacks on schoolchildren have become increasingly common in China in recent years.

In April 2018, nine middle school children were murdered, allegedly by a former student who took revenge on the school because he was bullied there.