A devastating car attack in southern China’s Zhuhai city has left 35 people dead and over 40 injured.
The tragedy occurred on Monday evening at the Zhuhai Sports Centre, where citizens were exercising outdoors.
Zhuhai (meaning ‘pearl sea’) is a prefecture-level city located on the west bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China.
At 8 p.m., a 62-year-old man going by the surname Fan allegedly drove his SUV into the crowds, causing widespread destruction and chaos.
Eyewitnesses described the horrific scene, with people lying on jogging tracks and nearby grounds, shoes scattered everywhere.
Many of the injured were in sports outfits, including uniforms of local fitness walking groups.
The SUV crashed into multiple fitness walking groups, hitting dozens of participants, with many middle-aged and elderly individuals among the victims, as well as teenagers and children.
Police apprehended Fan, the suspected driver, as he attempted to flee the scene.
Officers found him self-harming with a knife in the vehicle and immediately stopped him, sending him to the hospital for treatment.
Due to severe neck injuries, Fan remains unconscious and is undergoing emergency treatment.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping described the mass hit-and-run as a case of “an extremely malicious nature,” calling for the perpetrator to face severe punishment in accordance with the law.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Fan’s dissatisfaction with the property division outcomes of his divorce may have triggered the incident.
He has been detained on suspicion of “endangering public safety.”
The motive behind the attack is still being investigated.
The Zhuhai Sports Centre, a popular spot for local residents to exercise daily, has announced its closure until further notice.
The incident occurred on the eve of China’s largest civil and military airshow, scheduled to take place in Zhuhai from November 12 to 17.
China, known for its low violent crime rates, has experienced a series of attacks targeting random members of the public in recent months.
In October, a stabbing attack near an elementary school in Beijing injured five people, including three children.
September saw a knife attack at a suburban supermarket in Shanghai, killing three and injuring 15, as well as a bus crashing into a crowd of students and parents outside a school in Tai’an city, killing 11 and injuring 13.
The Chinese authorities have not revealed whether the latter incident was accidental or deliberate.
The recent surge in attacks has raised concerns about public safety in the country.
As the investigation into the Zhuhai car attack continues, the community mourns the loss of life and prays for the speedy recovery of the injured.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the need for increased vigilance and measures to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.
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