4 Cornell College lecturers injured in knife attack in China

CNN
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Four teachers at an Iowa college were injured in a stabbing attack in a northeastern park on Monday, which Iowa leaders described as an assault.

The lecturers at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, were in a public park with a faculty member from their partner university when they were injured “in a serious incident,” university president Jonathan Brand said in a statement to the university community.

“We are in contact with all four trainers and are supporting them during this time,” said Brand.

The US State Department is aware of reports of a knife incident in China and is monitoring the situation, a spokesman said.

School spokeswoman Jen Visser confirmed that the incident occurred in the city of Jilin and that the partner school is Beihua University.

According to the school, no students participated in the program.

Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinsonwho represents the district where the college is located, said in a post on X that the four college staff members were “brutally stabbed to death.”

“My team is in contact with Cornell College and will do everything in our power to get these Iowans home safely,” Hinson said. “Please join me in praying for their health and safety.”

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said: “I am in contact with Iowa’s federal delegation and the State Department in response to this horrific attack. Please pray for their full recovery, their safe return, and for their families here at home.”

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst also said her team was “closely following reports that Cornell College staff members at Mt. Vernon in China were stabbed to death.”

“We are in contact with the college and the State Department and are ready to continue to help these Iowans. We pray for a speedy recovery for everyone,” she said on X.