GUANGZHOU - A Chinese woman who was stabbed while protecting a Japanese mother and child from a knife-wielding Chinese man in Suzhou, China, has died, according to the local authorities.

Official media and Chinese social media have praised the actions of Ms Hu Youping, 54, a bus assistant who suffered serious injuries after trying to stop the man.

The Japanese woman and her preschool-aged son were attacked while they were waiting at a bus stop.

According to Xinhua News Agency, citing an eyewitness, Ms Hu was riding the school bus when the incident occurred in the evening on June 24.

She grabbed the man from behind during the attack. The man then stabbed Ms Hu and continued to attack her even after she fell.

Thanks to the actions of Ms Hu, injuries sustained by the mother and son were not life-threatening.

Ms Hu died on June 26 after falling unconscious.

The Suzhou Municipal People’s Government’s Public Security Bureau said that Ms Hu’s actions prevented the incident from being much worse.

News of Ms Hu’s death rose to the top of the search rankings on Chinese social media Weibo. More than 20,000 comments were posted, calling her “great” and a “hero”.

The Japanese Embassy in Beijing and the Consulate-General in Shanghai expressed their condolences by flying flags at half-mast on June 28.

“On behalf of the Japanese government and people, I would like to express my deepest respect and sincere condolences for (the woman’s) courageous action,” Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi told reporters.

He emphasised that Japan would work with the Chinese authorities to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK