A man who was upset over his divorce settlement has rammed his car into a crowd of people exercising at a sports complex in southern China, k!lling 35 and severely injuring dozens of others, police said on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
The 62-year-old man was promptly arrested by the police and is being treated for wounds thought to be self-inflicted.
The incident happened in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday, November 11, 2024.
Videos circulated on the social media platform X show dozens of people lying on the running track at the sports complex, which is regularly used by hundreds of residents to run, play soccer or dance.
In one video shared by news blogger, 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.
In addition to the 35 people k!lled, police said 43 were injured.
Police identified the man detained in Monday’s att@ck only by his family name of Fan and said he was unconscious and receiving medical care after being found wounded in his car with a knife.
He was dissatisfied with the split of financial assets in his divorce, according to a preliminary investigation, police said.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for the “strict” punishment of the perpetrator according to law in a statement Tuesday evening.
He also called on all local governments “to strengthen prevention and control of risks at the source, strictly prevent extreme cases from occurring, and to resolve conflicts and disputes in a timely manner,” according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Watch the video here.
