35 killed when driver rammed crowd at sports center in southern China

A driver killed 35 people and injured another 43 when he deliberately drove his car into a crowd training at a sports center in southern China on Monday, police said.

Officers detained a 62-year-old man at the sports center in Zhuhai after the incident, which happened on the eve of the country’s main aviation exhibition organized by the People’s Liberation Army, which is held annually in the city.

One of the four hospitals admitting victims said more than 20 were injured, state media reported.

According to the statement, the driver was found in the car with a knife, where he probably suffered injuries to his neck. He was reported to be unconscious and receiving medical attention.

According to a preliminary investigation, he was dissatisfied with the division of financial assets in his divorce.

Video footage showed a firefighter performing CPR on one victim as people were told to leave the scene.

They were shared by news blogger and dissident Li Ying, better known on X as Teacher Li. His account posts daily news based on user submissions.

The videos showed dozens of people lying on the athletics track at the sports center, with a woman in one saying: “My foot is broken.”

On Tuesday morning, searches for the incident on Chinese social media were heavily censored on Chinese social media platforms.

A search on Weibo for the sports center turned up only a few posts, only a few of which referred to the fact that something had happened, without photos or details.

Articles from Chinese media about Monday evening’s incident have been removed.

The sports center for the Xiangzhou district regularly attracts hundreds of residents, where they can run on the athletic field, play football and take part in social dances. Following the incident, the center announced it would be closed until further notice.

China has seen a number of attacks where suspects appear to target random people, such as schoolchildren.

In October, a 50-year-old man was arrested after allegedly using a knife to attack children at a school in Beijing. Five people were injured.

In September, three people were killed in a knife attack at a supermarket in Shanghai.