A 62-year-old driver, reportedly upset over a recent divorce and under mental pressure, drove his car into the crowd at the city’s sports complex in Zhuhai, China, killing 35 people and injuring dozens more. Local police say Monday night was when the incident took place.
Police took the driver into custody shortly after the attack. He sustained injuries that appear self-inflicted and is currently under treatment. Disturbing images from the scene found their way onto social media, showing the aftermath of how the van plowed into people gathered at the Zhuhai Sports Center, which has been a very popular venue, to watch running, soccer, and dancing.
Videos from the social media site X captured images of several dozen who lay broken on the track after the attack. In one video posted by a news blogger, a female was saying, “my foot is broken,” as a firefighter performed CPR on someone else.
Suspected Motive
The police report that the preliminary investigation of the driver’s actions suggests a possible motivated act inspired by a property claim after his divorce. Eyewitnesses said the attack was intentional, as the driver also targeted the joggers who ran on the track.
Incident Censorship and Recent Public Attacks in China
Authorities haven’t released details about the identity of the victims, and reports say searches related to the incident have been censored on Chinese social media sites. Zhuhai city is hosting a major aviation exhibition by the People’s Liberation Army this week and news of the incident is merely adding attention to that.
China has endured several attacks targeting its citizens in recent years, but this may be the deadliest such incident in more than a decade. Violence similar to that in Kunming has been reported in cities across the country in recent months, including knife attacks at a Beijing school and a Shanghai supermarket.
