Three nurses, one of whom is pregnant, were stabbed in a hospital by a male patient on Monday in Changsha, capital of Hunan province.

The stabbing happened at 9 am in the Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine, said Xiang Bo, spokesman of public security bureau of Changsha. One of the nurses was seriously injured but none of them have life-threatening injuries,

The suspect is identified as Xiao Sheng, who is in his 20s. He was still at large as of 8 pm on Monday, Xiang said.

The stabbings were first reported by a Sina Weibo micro-blogger and later confirmed by a spokesman for the Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine, which oversees the hospital.

The micro-blogger released several photos of the three nurses with their clothes covered in blood.

Wu Yuhua, deputy head of the hospital, said the stabbings only lasted for several minutes and that the three nurses have received treatment for their injuries.

Two of the three recently graduated from nursing school and one is an expectant mother, she said.

Xiao stabbed the three nurses in a hospital corridor after a chat with a doctor who had performed cosmetic surgery to plant hair in his chin to create a beard four months ago at the hospital, a report by Hunan Daily said.

When security guards arrived at the incident, the suspect had run away.

Police are continuing their investigation into the stabbings and their search for the suspect. They are also looking into Xiao's record at the hospital and the video footage of the stabbings.

A representative of the hospital said on Monday afternoon that Xiao claimed his chin became red and swollen after the cosmetic surgery.

Contact the writer at fengzhiwei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 09/24/2013 page3)