A man who stabbed 11 people with a knife in Ji'an, Jiangxi province, on Thursday was under police control, according to the local government.

Guo Kaibin, 33, who has a history of mental illness, attacked 11 people, including students and auxiliary police officers, with a knife on Shaoshan West Road in Jizhou district at 7:12 am on Thursday, the government said in a release.

Guo was initially subdued by people in a market, according to a witness quoted in Beijing Youth Daily.

The witness, surnamed Cheng, told the newspaper that the attack happened near Ji'an No 8 Middle School and that the attacker was subdued by vendors and residents in a market next to the school.

"I didn't see the attack, but I saw many vendors and passers-by in the market restraining the suspect with sticky tape and taking away his knife. Then the police came to take him away," Cheng said.

A staff member at the middle school, who was not named, told the newspaper that the people injured include students, and the school is still following up on the details.

The case is under investigation, the government said. As of 6 pm on Thursday it had released no further information.

All 11 injured people were hospitalized and in good condition, the official release said.