A chilling incident unfolded at a daycare center when a man armed with a hatchet entered the facility and attacked four young children.

The gruesome attack transpired on Wednesday, April 5, at Cantinho do Bom Pastor, located in Blumenau, Southern Brazil, causing immense grief and sorrow among parents outside the private daycare establishment. The crime has sent shockwaves throughout the country, prompting demands for the government to address the escalating violence.

The perpetrator gained entry to the daycare by scaling a wall and later surrendered himself at a nearby police station. Authorities have not found any apparent connection between the attacker and the daycare center.

The victims, aged between five and seven, lost their lives in the assault, while several other children suffered injuries. An ongoing investigation seeks to determine the motive behind the appalling act. In response, the Ministers of Justice and Education have pledged to implement new measures to prevent similar violent incidents in the future.

Upon hearing the heartbreaking news at work, Valeria Aparecida Camilo, a working mother with a five-year-old daughter attending the facility, immediately contacted her husband, Gustavo, who rushed to the school and discovered their daughter was safe.

Ulisses Gabriel, the Chief of Civil Police, disclosed that the assailant was a 25-year-old man hailing from the neighboring state of Parana. Gabriel further stated that the police view this attack as an isolated incident, unrelated to other criminal activities.

Brazil has unfortunately experienced a surge in school-related attacks in recent years. A week before this tragedy, a student in Sao Paulo fatally stabbed a teacher and injured several others. In May 2021, a daycare center in Santa Catarina state suffered a similar calamity when a man entered the premises and used a dagger to kill three children and two adults.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva offered his deepest condolences via a Twitter post, acknowledging the indescribable pain endured by families who have lost their children or grandchildren.