Man angry over divorce rams car into crowd, kills 35 people in China

Officials in southern China have ramped up security on Wednesday at the site of the country’s deadliest attack in a decade, which saw 35 people killed when a man drove a car into a crowd at a sports complex.

The Chinese Police, on Monday, stated that the 62-year-old man surnamed Fan ploughed a small SUV through a gate to the complex in the city of Zhuhai and into crowds of people as they exercised on the roads inside.

Police said Fan was apprehended at the scene but was in a coma after self-inflicted knife injuries, preventing them from interrogating him.

But the force said preliminary enquiries suggested the attack was “triggered by (Fan’s) dissatisfaction with the division of property following his divorce.”

An initial police statement said people had been injured but did not mention any deaths, and videos of the attack later appeared to be removed by China’s internet censors.

However, on Wednesday, the rampage had left 35 people dead and 43 with injuries not deemed life-threatening.

The attack was the deadliest since 2014, when a vehicle ramming and suicide bombing in the northwestern city of Urumqi killed 43 — including four assailants — and wounded more than 90.

Outside the sports complex on Wednesday morning, residents and delivery drivers were seen laying bouquets at a gate — but within minutes the flowers were carried behind a cordon fence.

“What happened wasn’t a small incident,” a woman of about 50 had told newsmen.

“We should remember those who passed away and not be so cold. I think more people in Zhuhai should come out here and lay some flowers in memorial,” she added.

A hashtag related to the attack shot to number one on the popular Weibo social media site but had been removed by Wednesday afternoon.

Many comments appeared to have been removed or restricted, though some managed to slip through the cracks.

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“Such vibrant lives, taken away like this, leaving families shattered. The perpetrator must be strictly punished,” one user wrote.

Security at the scene was tight on Wednesday, with plainclothes officers using their bodies and umbrellas to block reporters from taking photos and videos.

Since Tuesday night, newsmen had observed people placing candles and flowers near the site of the attack to commemorate the victims.

But cleaning staff removed the memorials in the early hours of Wednesday, with some telling newsmen they were acting on an “order from the top”.

Officials at the site said the items were being moved to a “mourning hall” inside the complex with no access to the public.

Footage of Monday’s incident showed people lying motionless on the ground, while others were seen frantically attempting to resuscitate the seemingly unconscious.

Videos of the aftermath suggest the car roughly followed a busy exercise track on the western side of the sports centre, hurtling along the west side of the main stadium and the perimeter of another sports field in front of it.

However, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged “all-out efforts” to treat the injured and “demanded punishing the perpetrator in accordance with the law.”

The incident took place as Zhuhai hosts China’s largest airshow, showcasing Beijing’s civil and military aerospace sector.

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