A video of a first-year high school student in Niigata Prefecture being attacked by a group of schoolmates was posted online and went viral on social media, school officials said Tuesday.

The video shows a male student who attends private Niigata Seiryo High School being kicked and hit with a stick by other male students from the same school, including a boy who was expelled last year. School officials say the school was notified about the video, taken Friday evening at a nearby beach, by someone outside the school.

The two-minute, 20-second video also contains footage of the student, who was crouching, being pushed onto the road and repeatedly kicked. It includes comments by multiple students jeering as they say, "He's bleeding, it's great," and, "The guy had a face like he'd been punched from the beginning."

"It is really regrettable that something like this has happened," said Haruki Hada, the school's principal. "We will provide thorough guidance to all of the students."

The student who was attacked has reported the incident to the police.

The Niigata Prefectural Government asked the high school Monday to conduct an investigation and report back.