HARBIN - Twelve people were injured in a knife attack at a KFC outlet in northeast China's Heilongjiang province on Tuesday, local authorities said.

The suspect, a man surnamed Li, was caught at the scene, a spokesman for the emergency response office with Daqing city government said.

He said Li slashed at diners at the restaurant in a commercial area in Daqing at around 5:23 p.m.

Of the 12 people injured, two were in critical condition.

A preliminary investigation showed Li, a native of Daqing, had been too ill to keep his job at a local factory. He told police he had attacked out of despair.

Investigation was still going on.