ZHUHAI, China – In a tragic incident on Monday, November 11, 2024, an SUV struck dozens of people exercising at an outdoor sports centre in Zhuhai, a city in southern China, resulting in the deaths of 35 individuals.
According to local police, the vehicle, allegedly driven by a 62-year-old man identified only by his surname, Fan, drove into groups of people around 8 p.m. at the Zhuhai Sports Center, leaving more than 40 others injured and hospitalised.
Police apprehended Fan, who reportedly attempted to flee the scene before officers found him in the vehicle, engaged in self-harming with a knife.
“Officers found Fan self-harming with a knife in the vehicle, immediately stopped him and sent him to hospital for treatment.
Due to severe neck injuries, Fan is currently unconscious, still undergoing emergency treatment and unable to be interrogated,” the police statement read.
Fan’s actions are suspected to be linked to dissatisfaction with a recent divorce settlement, according to authorities.
Preliminary investigations suggest Fan was unhappy with the outcome of the property division from his divorce, prompting what police describe as a “malicious” attack.
Fan has been detained on suspicion of “endangering public safety,” though authorities are awaiting his recovery to proceed with an official interrogation.
The Zhuhai Sports Center, a popular location with locals, features an outdoor track and field area frequented by residents for regular exercise routines.
Many of the injured had been wearing sports attire, including uniforms from local fitness walking groups.
Chinese media outlet Caixin reported that the SUV’s impact struck participants in fitness walking groups around the track’s perimeter, which spans all sections of the grounds.
A witness, surnamed Liu, described the incident to Caixin, stating, “(The vehicle) struck all around, injuring people in various sections of the sports field’s circular track, across the eastern, southern, western, and northern areas.”
Chinese leader Xi Jinping condemned the incident as an attack with “an extremely malicious nature” and has called for stringent punishment of the perpetrator in accordance with the law.
Xi has also urged that all efforts be made to treat the injured, a call echoed by local authorities as the city braces for the upcoming Zhuhai Airshow, scheduled to run from November 12 to 17.
Online videos of the incident’s aftermath, verified by news sources, depict a harrowing scene with individuals lying on the sports track, shoes scattered across the grounds.
Many of the victims, including middle-aged and elderly participants as well as teenagers and children, were seen in sports uniforms, according to reports.
This tragedy follows a recent series of violent incidents in China.
Last month, a man was detained in Beijing following a stabbing attack near a primary school that injured five, including three children.
Another incident in September saw a bus crash into a crowd outside a school in Shandong province, resulting in 11 deaths, while Shanghai faced a supermarket stabbing attack that claimed three lives and injured 15 others.
Following the incident, the Zhuhai Sports Center announced that it would remain closed until further notice.
