Dozens of people killed and over 40 injured after car ploughs into crowd outside stadium in China
12 November 2024, 11:34 | Updated: 12 November 2024, 11:58
Dozens of people have been killed and over 40 injured after a car ploughed into a crowd outside a stadium.
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Chinese authorities said that 35 people had been killed with 43 wounded in the incident, which took place in the southern city of Zhuhai on Monday evening.
A 62-year-old called Fan has been named as the suspect.
He was arrested while trying to flee the scene, police said, and is currently in a coma from wounds officers said were self-inflicted.
Police claimed that Fan allegedly launched the attack because he was unhappy with the settlement he received after his divorce.
Many elderly people and teenagers were among the victims.
The group that was hit was a walking group that go in circles on a designated running track outside the stadium.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
China has been blighted by several attacks in recent months, including a stabbing attack at a supermarket in Shanghai.
Zhuhai is a city of about 2.5 million people in southern China, close to Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
Videos showed a firefighter performing CPR on one victim, as people were told to leave the scene.
They were shared by news blogger and dissident Li Ying, who is better known on X as Teacher Li. His account posts daily news based on user submissions.
The films showed dozens of people lying on the sports centre's running track, with a woman in one saying: "My foot is broken."
By Tuesday morning, searches for the incident on Chinese social media were heavily censored on Chinese social media platforms.
A search on Weibo for the sports centre only turned up a few posts, with only a couple referring to the fact that something had happened, without pictures or details.
Articles by Chinese media about the incident from Monday night were taken down.
Chinese internet censors take extra care to check social media ahead of and during major events, such as the meeting of the National People's Congress, where the government announces its major policy initiatives for the coming year.
The sports centre for the city district of Xiangzhou regularly attracts hundreds of residents, where they can run on the track field, play soccer and take part in social dances. Following the incident, the centre announced that it would be closed until further notice.
