Chinese woman dies after protecting Japanese mother and child from knife attack in Suzhou

GUANGZHOU – A Chinese woman who was stabbed to death in Suzhou, China, while protecting a Japanese mother and her child from a Chinese man armed with a knife has died, local authorities said.

Official media and Chinese social media praised the actions of 54-year-old Hu Youping, a bus attendant who suffered serious injuries while trying to stop the man.

The Japanese woman and her preschool-aged son were attacked while waiting at a bus stop.

According to the Xinhua news agency, which cited an eyewitness, Ms. Hu was riding the school bus on the evening of June 24 when the incident occurred.

During the attack, she grabbed the man from behind. The man then stabbed Ms. Hu and continued to attack her after she had fallen to the ground.

Thanks to Ms. Hu’s intervention, the injuries to mother and son were not life-threatening.

Ms. Hu died on June 26 after losing consciousness.

The Public Security Bureau of the Suzhou Municipal People’s Government said Ms. Hu’s intervention prevented an even worse incident.

News of Ms Hu’s death topped search results on Chinese social network Weibo, with more than 20,000 comments calling her “great” and a “hero.”

The Japanese Embassy in Beijing and the Consulate General in Shanghai expressed their condolences by flying their flags at half-mast on June 28.

“On behalf of the Japanese government and people, I would like to express my deepest respect and sincere condolences for (the woman’s) brave act,” Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi told reporters.

He stressed that Japan will work with Chinese authorities to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK