Two people were stabbed to death in the Forbidden City on Friday, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Beijing police announced on their Weibo account late Friday afternoon that a 49-year-old man surnamed Zheng who worked at the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, stabbed two of his colleagues at a staff canteen located at the east side of the museum at around 11:20 am.

According to witnesses at the scene, Zheng stabbed two victims, who were both in their 50s, after a brawl. When the police arrived in the scene, one victim was already dead and the other died after treatment failed, police said. The police apprehended the injured Zheng who was hiding in an office. The police then sent him to the Peking Union Medical College Hospital for emergency treatment.

Police refused to comment on the perpetrator's motivation and stated that the case was still under investigation when reached by the Global Times on Friday.

According to the Legal Daily, policemen took a package of physical evidence from the hospital at 2 pm after the perpetrator was undergoing surgery. As of press time, he was out of danger.

A staff member, who worked in the museum and refused to be named, confirmed the incident to the Global Times and said no tourists were injured.

The Palace Museum, one of China's most famous sites, has experienced a serious of security incidents over the past two years, including a case in March 2012, in which a man was sentenced for stealing art pieces from the museum.

The number of security personnel was increased from 53 to 97 in July 2013 at the site, which is visited by over 12 million people a year. Over the national holidays 2013, the museum introduced another 250 armed police to ensure the safety of visitors.