Railway staff fired in wake of deadly stabbing

Several employees of China Railway Guangzhou Group who were responsible for a lapse in security that led to a deadly stabbing on a train in May have been dismissed, the group said in a statement.

The perpetrator, surnamed He, boarded the K435 train at Hengshan station in Hunan province around 9:30 pm on May 4. About 20 minutes later, the 36-year-old suddenly pulled out a 10.5-centimeter folding knife hidden under his belt and started to stab a fellow passenger repeatedly, resulting in the death of the 27-year-old, according to the statement published on Sunday evening.

According to court files from Hengyang Railway Transportation Court, He has been legally identified as being mentally ill and not criminally responsible. To safeguard public safety and prevent further risk to the public, the court ordered that He be confined to a medical institution.

According to the prosecutors, He had a history of mental illness and drug abuse. In 2017, he injured a man with a knife after experiencing hallucinations.

His random attack on the train was believed to be caused by a psychotic episode.

The operator of the K435, China Railway Guangzhou Group, said the group has taken disciplinary action against those responsible for the security check failure at Hengshan station, including the stationmaster, deputy stationmaster and security inspector, for their dereliction of duty.

The group vowed to enhance the training and management of security personnel, and strengthen security measures at stations to prevent similar incidents from happening and ensure the safety of passengers' lives and property.