Five people have been killed in a knife attack in China

At least five people were killed and at least 15 were injured in what became known as Saturday’s terror attack in eastern China, local police said.

Authorities in Anqing, Anhui province, received a report on Saturday afternoon that a person had stabbed pedestrians on the street, according to a statement from the Anqing District Police Representative posted on their account on the Weibo social network.

The attacker was arrested and the injured were taken to hospital for treatment, police said.

The motive for the attack is unknown at this time and the incident is being investigated.

A blood bank in Anking asked people to donate blood to the injured.

Chinese laws restrict the sale and possession of firearms, and mass attacks often involve knives or homemade ammunition.

In the past, perpetrators of similar attacks have been described as mentally ill or socially dissatisfied.

In December, a knife attack outside a sanana and public bath in northeastern China killed at least seven people and injured seven others.

In June last year, a security guard stabbed at least 39 people at a kindergarten in the southern region of Guangxi. The offender was sentenced to death.