NANNING - Two children died after being severely beaten by a primary school employee in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Wednesday, local authorities said Friday.

The incident happened in the dormitory of a private school in the city of Yulin around 5 am Wednesday, when a male employee surnamed Liu allegedly hit and critically injured two students, sources with the municipal government said.

The two fifth-graders died after being taken to a local hospital, the sources said.

Police have detained the suspect and are investigating the incident.