Chinese woman dies after saving Japanese mother & child from knife attack in China, Japanese embassy honours her

Chinese woman heroically saves Japanese mother & child from knife attack

A Chinese woman lost her life after she valiantly saved a Japanese woman and her child from a knife attack in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.

According to The Straits Times, the tragic incident occurred on Monday (24 June) when a Chinese man armed with a knife targeted a Japanese mother and her preschool-aged son at a bus stop.

Ms Hu Youping, who was working as a bus assistant at the time, heroically grabbed the assailant from behind in an attempt to thwart the attack.

Despite her efforts, the assailant stabbed the 54-year-old bus attendant and continued his assault even after she had fallen.

Chinese woman saves mother & child

Ms Hu sustained her injuries when she tried to restrain the 52-year-old assailant.

Thanks to Ms Hu’s courageous actions, the injuries suffered by the Japanese nationals were not life-threatening and the suspect was later arrested at the scene.

Unfortunately, Ms Hu succumbed to her injuries two days after the incident, leaving a community mourning her heroic sacrifice.

According to the BBC, tributes have poured in for Ms Hu on various platforms, including the Chinese social media site Weibo, where the news of her passing topped search rankings.

More than 20,000 users have expressed their condolences, hailing her as a “great” and a “hero”.

Responding to the tragedy, the Suzhou Municipal People’s Government’s Public Security Bureau remarked that Ms Hu’s quick intervention prevented what could have been a far more disastrous outcome, reported ST.

Japanese embassy & local government honour woman’s sacrifice

According to The Japan Times, the Japanese Embassy in Beijing and the Consulate-General in Shanghai honoured Ms Hu’s bravery by flying flags at half-mast on June 28.

Japanese Ambassador to China, Kenji Kanasugi, has extended his deepest respect and sincere condolences on behalf of the Japanese people.

Moreover, the local government of Suzhou has decided to award Ms Hu with the title of “Righteous and Courageous Role Model”, as reported by Yahoo News.

This incident is only one of several knife attacks that have plagued China in the past year.

Speaking about the incident, Yahoo reports that the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that it will take “effective” measures to ensure the protection of foreigners in China.

Also read: Woman in China kills 2 & injures 10 in primary school knife attack

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Featured image adapted from The Strait Times and The Japan Times.