China strictly prohibits citizens from owning firearms. Photo: AP Archive

Six people were killed and one wounded in an attack at a kindergarten in southern China's Guangdong province on Monday, a spokeswoman for the city government said.

"The victims include one teacher, two parents and three students," she said. She did not offer details about the identities or ages of the victims, nor the weapon used in the attack, which took place in the city of Lianjiang.

"One suspect has been arrested," she said, adding that a police investigation was underway. The suspect was a 25-year-old male surnamed Wu, local police said in a statement.

Videos shot by passersby claiming to show the crime scene were removed from video-sharing platform Douyin and Twitter-like Weibo.

Research calls

While guns are strictly controlled, China has been struggling with a spate of mass stabbings.

Violent crime has been on the rise as the economy has grown in recent decades and the gap between rich and poor has widened rapidly.

Fatal attacks targeting students and schools have occurred nationwide in recent years.

The attacks have forced authorities to step up security and prompted calls for more research into the root causes of such violent acts.

AP