Xinhua News Agency, Zaozhuang, November 23rd - On November 23rd, a reporter received a tip-off that in a certain village of Shantown, Shanting District, Zaozhuang City, a woman suddenly wielded a kitchen knife and slashed at her three biological daughters. Her disabled husband also suffered a cut on his face. Currently, the injured are receiving treatment at Zaozhuang Mining Hospital.
Wu informed the reporter that after Li drank pesticide, she was also sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. However, just the day after recovering, she disappeared without a trace. Currently, the police have intervened in the investigation.
The husband of the assailant, Mr. Wu, told the reporter that this incident happened very suddenly, with no previous signs of mental illness in his wife. Due to their impoverished household conditions, Li had recently often complained about her husband. Perhaps due to mental stimulation, she developed an extreme mindset, leading to this tragedy. Fortunately, the three slashed daughters were promptly sent to the hospital for treatment and currently have no life-threatening conditions. Wu suffered a cut on his face, but it wasn't severe. Moreover, his wife's attempted suicide by drug overdose failed, allowing the entire family to reunite.
In the hospital, the reporter met the three girls who had undergone surgery. According to medical staff, the youngest daughter, Qianqian, aged four, was the most severely injured. Her head was slashed five times, and two fingers on her left hand were chopped off; she was just transferred from the intensive care unit to a ward. The second daughter, Ruirui, aged six, had her head slashed three times and her shoulder once. After being unconscious for two days, she is now running a high fever and receiving treatment while lying in bed. The eldest daughter, Hua Hua, aged ten, had her head slashed once. Wu’s nose bridge and lower lip were severed by his wife. In just a few days, more than 30,000 yuan has been spent on medical expenses, which Wu borrowed from relatives and friends. Since Qianqian and Ruirui are severely injured and require more medical expenses, neither Wu nor his eldest daughter is hospitalized. Instead, they go to a nearby health room for intravenous drips.
Seeing the tragic plight of the three girls, doctors and nurses at the hospital showed their love and kindness. While carefully attending to them, they bought clothes, hats, shoes, and various foods for the children. Fellow patients and many kind-hearted people frequently visited them, some donating money and others donating goods.
Upon hearing the news, the reporter rushed to the hospital. According to Liu, a relative of the victims, this family resides in Shanting District's Shantown. They live in poverty, with Wu unable to work regularly due to a disability in his left hand and relying on selling scrap to make ends meet. His wife, Li, stays home to farm and take care of the children. Unable to bear the hardships of life, Li had recently often complained about her husband. Wu informed the reporter that Li had no known history of mental illness before. Perhaps due to recent mental stress, she developed an extreme mindset, leading to this tragedy. At around 6:40 AM on November 18th, Wu suddenly heard his eldest daughter shouting for help. He found the door to the children's room locked from the inside, with Li wielding a kitchen knife and fiercely slashing at the children's heads. In a panic, Wu smashed the doorframe glass to crawl in and save the children but was also slashed by his wife. Wu wrestled the kitchen knife away from his wife, only to find out that Li had already consumed pesticide prepared beforehand. After receiving the alarm, the police and 120 ambulances arrived at the scene and sent the injured to the hospital.
On the 23rd, at Zaozhuang Mining Hospital, Wu, the husband of the assailant, stayed by the bedside of his two injured daughters. Photographed by Zhao Hui and Bai Xueyan.