Driver in China kills 35 people exercising in deliberate attack

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Dozens of people exercising were killed, and 43 others were injured after a man drove a small off-road vehicle into a large group of people outside a sports center in Zhuhai, China, on Monday evening.

The 62-year-old suspect, who is only identified by police by his family name of Fan, was upset over his divorce settlement, authorities said. He was apprehended by police at the scene after allegedly killing 35 people at 7:48 p.m. and attempting to flee.

The southern Chinese city of Zhuhai is hosting the People’s Liberation Army’s annual aviation exhibition, which opened Tuesday. The sports complex is regularly used by hundreds of residents to run, play soccer or dance.

Chinese authorities appeared to be tightly controlling information about the incident. Internet censors tend to take extra care to scrub social media ahead of and during major events, such as the aviation exhibition or the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress.

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A security person stands guard near a sports center where a man rammed a car into people exercising in Zhuhai, China, on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

For almost 24 hours after the attack, it was unclear what the death or injury toll was. On Tuesday morning, a search on the Chinese social media platform Weibo for the sports center turned up just a few posts, with only a couple referring to the fact something had happened, without pictures or details. Articles by Chinese media from Monday night about the incident were taken down.

Searches for what happened were heavily censored for users behind China’s Great Firewall. Outside the controls, however, videos circulated on the social media platform X. In several posts, dozens of people could be seen lying down on the running track at the sports complex.

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People gather near a sports center after a man rammed a car into people exercising at the center in Zhuhai, China, on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

In one video shared by news blogger and dissident Li Ying, a woman says, “My foot is broken.” That same video showed a firefighter performing CPR on a person, as others were told to leave. Li, who is known on X as Teacher Li, posts daily news based on user submissions

Fan was unconscious after being found in his car with a knife and wounded. Investigators say he had self-harmed using a knife, causing severe neck injuries.

This photo shows a sports center where a man rammed a car into people exercising in Zhuhai, China, on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

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Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the “strict” punishment of the perpetrator according to law in a statement Tuesday evening.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.