A driver deliberately rammed into people exercising at a sports center in the city of Zhuhai, China, resulting in the death of 35 people and leaving 43 injured, according to police reports on Tuesday. The incident occurred on the eve of the country's major aviation fair.
The 62-year-old man, identified only by his surname, Fan, was detained at the Zhuhai sports center after the collision that took place on Monday night. Fan was found in the car with a knife, presenting injuries to his neck that were suspected to be self-inflicted, according to the police statement.
Footage of the incident showed a firefighter performing CPR on a person while people were evacuated from the scene. Chinese censors took additional measures to clean up social media during major events, such as the National People's Congress meeting.
The sports center in the Xiangzhou district was a place frequented by hundreds of locals for running, playing football, or dancing. Five people were injured in the incident, and Chinese media articles about it were removed, although videos circulated outside the censorship on X.
One of the hospitals that received the victims reported having treated more than 20 injured individuals. Searches on social media about the incident were heavily censored and few details were disseminated. In September, three people died in an attack at a supermarket in Shanghai.
After the incident, the sports center closed its doors until further notice. China has been the scene of various indiscriminate attacks, such as the one that occurred in October at a school in Beijing. In the video of the incident in Zhuhai, a woman with a broken foot was seen receiving medical attention.
Police indicated that the suspect was dissatisfied with the division of financial assets in his divorce, according to a preliminary investigation. For nearly 24 hours after the crash, the exact number of deceased and injured was unclear.
