Three dead in knifeman's rampage in China after drunken karaoke

Three people are dead and 15 others injured after a man went on a drunken rampage - stabbing and driving into pedestrians after a karaoke session.

A manhunt is under way for the 42-year-old whose attacking spree is said to have been triggered by a dispute with a friend.

Identified by authorities by his surname, Wang, the suspect reportedly fell out with a companion after spending Sunday afternoon drinking and singing karaoke in Ningbo city, in the eastern province of Zhejiang.

He is said to have purchased a fruit knife with which he stabbed his friend's mother, before fleeing the scene, according to a statement on the city's public security bureau's microblog.

Police said the suspect then stole a car at knifepoint and hit a cyclist - at which point the vehicle burst into flames and was abandoned.

Wang fled the scene on foot and knifed two onlookers, before stealing a car from a driving instructor.

He is then said to have driven the car into a crowd of nine people, before stabbing another five pedestrians.

Police are investigating the attack which comes just weeks after a similar violent attack in the country.

Last month 11 people died and 44 others were hurt after a man drove a truck into a crowd in the southern province of Hanan before attacking pedestrians with a dagger and shovel.

In August, a 54-year-old man killed his girlfriend and her family before mowing down pedestrians with a car, killing six others and hurting a further 12 people.