A knife-wielding man has injured seven children outside a primary school in northern China.

Two adults were also injured in the attack Friday in Hanzhong.

The 58-year-old suspect wanted to take "revenge against society" after being prosecuted for theft, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Photos posted by state media on Chinese social media show a child being carried on a stretcher.

Mass attackers in China often use knives or homemade explosives because Chinese law tightly restricts the sale and possession of firearms.