Man ploughs car into crowd in southern China, leaving 35 dead amid divorce rage

A man reportedly angry over his divorce settlement drove his car into a crowd of people exercising at a sports complex in southern China, killing 35 and leaving dozens critically injured, police announced on Tuesday. 

The suspect, a 62-year-old resident of Zhuhai, was detained shortly after the incident on Monday night.

Authorities believe his wounds were self-inflicted. The city of Zhuhai is currently hosting the People’s Liberation Army’s aviation exhibition, which commenced on Tuesday, prompting strict censorship of information regarding the attack on Chinese social media behind the country’s Great Firewall. 

However, outside China’s controlled online space, videos of the incident circulated on X. In several clips, people were seen lying on the track at the sports complex, which hundreds of locals use for running, football, and dancing. 

In one video shared by news blogger and dissident Li Ying, who goes by the name Teacher Li on X, a woman is heard saying, “my foot is broken”. 

The footage also shows a firefighter performing CPR on a victim while others were being urged to leave the area. Li is known for posting user-submitted news updates daily.

In addition to the 35 fatalities, police confirmed that 43 people sustained injuries. On Tuesday, authorities set up barriers to prevent entry to the sports complex, with members of the public instead placing floral tributes at a nearby square. 

Escalating attacks

China has witnessed several seemingly random public attacks in recent years. 

In October, a man was detained for allegedly attacking children with a knife at a school in Beijing, leaving five injured. In September, a knife attack in a Shanghai supermarket resulted in three deaths and 15 injuries. At the time, police indicated that the suspect was driven by financial grievances. 

Earlier, in May, a knife attack at a hospital in Yunnan province left two people dead and 21 injured. 

Police have only identified the suspect in Monday’s attack by his surname, Fan. He was found unconscious in his vehicle with a knife and wounds and is currently receiving medical treatment.

A preliminary investigation suggests he was aggrieved over the division of financial assets in his recent divorce. 

Authorities appear to be tightly controlling information related to the incident, a common practice in China during important events such as the ongoing aviation exhibition. 

Articles by Chinese media related to the attack were taken down on Monday night. 

In a statement on Tuesday evening, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “strict” legal punishment of the perpetrator. According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, he also urged local governments to “strengthen risk prevention and control measures, prevent extreme cases from arising, and resolve conflicts and disputes promptly.”