Chinese man 'stabs five people to death' in Henan

Police in China have been searching for a man who reportedly stabbed five people to death and wounded three others, state media say.

The 38-year-old killed three people in a village and two others in a nearby city in Henan province on Thursday, Xinhua news agency said quoting police.

The man's motive for the alleged attacks was not immediately known.

The stabbings are the latest in a series of violent incidents recently reported in China.

The man, identified by police as Ding Jinhua, worked at a furniture shop in Luohe city, Xinhua says.

After stabbing people in the village, he arrived at a furniture market in the city and killed a businesswoman and a taxi driver, Xinhua adds.

He then wounded another taxi driver before driving off with his vehicle.

Officials are offering a reward for information that may lead to his capture.

Media in China this week have reported various incidents of knife attacks on the public.

On Wednesday, a villager in Guangxi province was arrested after he stabbed to death two officials enforcing China's one-child policy.

On Monday, a man stabbed four people at a Carrefour shopping centre in Beijing, leaving one person dead and three wounded.