Four Dead, Four Injured After Teen’s Knife Attack in Irkutsk Region

In Baikalsk, Russia's Irkutsk Region, a 17-year-old boy fatally stabbed four teenagers and injured four others during a birthday party at his family’s summer house. The victims, aged 13 to 16, gathered with parental permission to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

The attacker, identified as Mikhail, reportedly became violent after being rejected by a girl he was infatuated with. After she turned him down and others defended her, he grabbed a box cutter and began attacking guests as they slept. He later set the house on fire and died in the blaze after turning on the gas.

Four teens were hospitalized, two in intensive care. One girl survived by playing dead and escaping to a neighbor, while another fled moments before the explosion.

Authorities confirmed all the teens attended the same school and had no prior behavioral issues. Governor Igor Kobzev and Baikalsk’s mayor declared a three-day mourning period for the victims.

Details

Baykalsk is a town in Slyudyansky District of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located 35 kilometers (22 mi) from Slyudyanka, the administrative center of the district. Population: 13,583 (2010 Census); 15,727 (2002 Census); 16,406 (1989 Soviet census).