Authorities said 35 people have been killed and 43 injured after a car crashed into the crowd outside Zhuhai Sports Centre in the southern province of Guangdong on Monday
China: People lay motionless on the street after reports of car driving into crowd
Police in China have said that 35 people were killed and 43 injured when a motorist drove into a crowd exercising at a sports centre in southern China on Monday.
Horrific footage shared on social media shows the aftermath of the crash, with bodies scattered across the ground and witnesses trying to help those hurt by the crash as emergency services arrived to the scene. The harrowing incident unfolded outside Zhuhai Sports Centre on Monday, on the eve of the country’s premier aviation exhibition by the People’s Liberation Army that is hosted annually in the city.
Emergency services rushed to the scene following reports that several people were “knocked to the ground.” The victims were reportedly exercising at the time of the crash – and many of those injured were wearing exercise clothes.
Witnesses told local media that those injured were part of “a group of middle-aged and elderly people who were exercising on the track.” The police said in a statement: “A passenger car hit a number of pedestrians at the sports centre in Xiangzhou District of Zhuhai City and drove away.”
In a post on Twitter, user @whyyoutouzhele wrote: “Breaking news! Around 8pm on November 11th, Zhuhai Sports Center. An off-road vehicle rushed into the sports center’s track in an apparent act of revenge, hitting a group of people who were walking and exercising.
“The video showed that a large number of people were knocked to the ground and some people shouted terrorists.” The post continued: “It is reported that most of the people who were hit were wearing the same clothes and were a group of middle-aged and elderly people who were exercising on the track. Medical staff are treating the injured, and staff at the scene are persuading onlookers to leave and ask them not to take pictures.”
In harrowing footage online, multiple people appeared to be injured as they were lying on the ground. Shocked onlookers stood at the scene as people checked on the victims, while others appeared to be running and shouting in the background.
Another video showed bystanders crowding around the centre, which was built in 2008 for the Beijing Olympics. According to the witness, the vehicle was an SUV.
Police reportedly “surrounded” the vehicle as it attempted to flee the scene. According to local media, police arrested a man surnamed Fan and took him into custody for allegedly driving into pedestrians at 19.48 (11.48 GMT) before driving away.
The driver was discovered in the car with a knife, with wounds to his neck thought to be self-inflicted, according to the statement. He was reported to be unconscious and receiving medical care. He was dissatisfied with the split of financial assets in his divorce, according to a preliminary investigation, police said.
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.
China has seen a number of attacks in which suspects appear to target random people such as schoolchildren. In October, a 50-year-old man was detained after he allegedly used a knife to attack children at a school in Beijing. Five people were injured. In September, three people were killed in a knife attack in a Shanghai supermarket.
