Driver rams car into crowd in China, killing 35

Chinese police stated that a man, dissatisfied with the division of assets in his divorce, drove a car into a crowd of people exercising at a sports center in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, resulting in 35 deaths and dozens of serious injuries. The incident occurred on Monday evening, and police have detained the 62-year-old man, identified only as "Fan," who is receiving treatment for injuries believed to be self-inflicted.

According to a police statement, "Officers found Fan with self-inflicted knife wounds inside the vehicle, immediately restrained him, and sent him to the hospital for treatment. Due to severe neck injuries, Fan is currently in a coma and undergoing emergency treatment, making interrogation impossible." Zhuhai is hosting the annual People's Liberation Army Airshow, which opened on Tuesday, and therefore, searches for the incident by users within China's firewall are being heavily censored.

However, outside of the censorship, videos related to the incident have been circulating on the social media platform X. In multiple videos, dozens of people can be seen lying on the running track of the sports center, which is frequently used by hundreds of residents for jogging, soccer, or dancing. A news blogger and dissident named Li Ying shared a video in which a woman says, "My leg is broken." The same video shows a firefighter performing CPR on a person while others are told to leave. Li Ying, known as "Teacher Li" on X, posts daily news based on user submissions.

Police have stated that in addition to the 35 fatalities, 43 people were injured. CNN has geolocated the scene and confirmed that online videos of the incident show many people lying on the track and nearby ground, with shoes scattered around. Many of the injured were wearing sportswear, including the uniforms of at least two local walking groups. According to Chinese media outlet Caixin, the SUV struck multiple walking groups, resulting in dozens of injuries. The injured were primarily middle-aged and elderly, but there were also teenagers and children. Caixin quoted a witness named Liu as saying, "[The vehicle] was ramming around, hitting people in the east, south, west, and north areas of the stadium's circular track."

The Zhuhai Sports Center, which features an outdoor track, is a common place for local residents to exercise. Following the incident, the center announced it would be closed until further notice. China has experienced several incidents of suspects randomly attacking the public. In October, a man was detained for allegedly stabbing children at a school in Beijing, injuring five. In September, a knife attack at a supermarket in Shanghai resulted in three deaths and 15 injuries. Police stated at the time that the suspect had personal economic disputes and came to Shanghai to "vent his anger." In May, a knife attack at a hospital in Yunnan province resulted in two deaths and 21 injuries. Police have only released the surname of the man detained in Monday's attack as Fan, which is common, and stated that he was found unconscious and receiving treatment for knife wounds when he was apprehended.

Initial investigations indicate that Fan was dissatisfied with the division of property during his divorce. Chinese authorities appear to be strictly controlling information about the incident. Internet censors often pay extra attention to cleaning up social media before and during major events such as air shows or the annual National People's Congress. Nearly 24 hours after the attack, the number of deaths or injuries was still unclear. On Tuesday morning, searches for the sports center on the Chinese social media platform Weibo yielded only a few posts, with only a handful mentioning that something had happened, but without images or details. Chinese media articles about the incident from Monday night have been removed.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for "severe punishment according to the law" for the perpetrator in a statement on Tuesday evening. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, he also called on all local governments to "strengthen risk prevention at the source, strictly prevent extreme incidents from occurring, and resolve conflicts and disputes in a timely manner."