Beijing [China], June 11 (ANI): Four American instructors from Iowa College who were on a visit to their partner university in China, sustained injuries after being attacked in a stabbing incident in a public park, CNN reported citing a school spokesperson.
The instructors from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, were at a public park on Monday (local time) with a faculty member of their partner institution when they were injured “in a serious incident,” school President Jonathan Brand said in a statement to the college community.
“We have been in contact with all four instructors and are assisting them during this time,” Brand said.
School spokesperson Jen Visser told CNN the stabbing incident happened in Jilin City and the partner school is Beihua University.
The US State Department is aware of reports of a stabbing incident in China and is monitoring the situation, according to a spokesperson.
No students were participating in the program, according to the school.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said he is in touch with Iowa’s federal delegation and the state department.
“I am in touch with Iowa’s federal delegation and the state department in response to this horrifying attack. Please pray for their full recovery, safe return, and their families here at home,” he said.
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst also said her team is “closely following reports that personnel from Cornell College in Mt. Vernon were stabbed in China.”
“We are in touch with the college and the State Department and stand ready to further assist these Iowans. Praying for a speedy recovery for all,” she said on X.
New York Times cited a video posted on Chinese social media, purportedly taken after the attack, which showed three people lying on the ground, surrounded by onlookers. One was soaked in blood, while another appeared to be using his hand to apply pressure to his wound. All three were using their cell phones.
Cornell College is a private four-year school where the enrolment for the 2022-2023 academic year was 1,074 students and the student-to-faculty ratio was 13:1.
The top majors at the school that year were biochemistry, kinesiology, engineering, computer science, and politics. The college’s academic calendar is divided into 18-day blocks where students take one course at a time.
China and the United States have recently sought to bolster their educational ties to help stabilize their tense relationship. Last November, China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, announced a plan to invite 50,000 young Americans to participate in exchange and study programs over a period of five years.
President Xi has a personal connection to Iowa, having lived there with a host family in 1985 as part of an agricultural exchange. (ANI)
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