GUIYANG - Two security guards were killed and another was injured when they tried to prevent a knife-wielding man from entering a college in Southwest China around noon on Monday, local police said.

The man, surnamed Xu, tried to enter Guizhou Normal University in Southwest China's Guizhou province at 1:38 pm Monday, and a fight broke out when the security guards tried to stop him, said Guiyang municipal police, where the university is located.

Three guards were seriously injured, including two who died after treatments failed in hospital, police said.

Xu, who works at a college in the province, has been detained by police.

Police are investigating the incident.