Dozens dead as man rams car into crowd in China: NPR

ZHUHAI, China (AP) — A man who authorities said was upset about his divorce settlement rammed his car into a crowd exercising at a sports complex in southern China. 35 people were killed and dozens more seriously injured, police said on Tuesday.

Shortly after Monday night's attack in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, police arrested the 62-year-old man, who is being treated for what are believed to be self-inflicted wounds. The city is hosting the People's Liberation Army's annual aviation exhibition, which opened on Tuesday, and searches of the incident were heavily censored for users behind China's Great Firewall.

However, outside of the controls, videos circulated on the social media platform

In one, shared by news blogger and dissident Li Ying, a woman says: “My foot is broken.” In the same video, a firefighter was seen resuscitating one person while others were told to leave. Li, known on X as Teacher Li, posts daily news based on user posts

In addition to the 35 people killed, there were 43 injured, according to police.

There have been a number of attacks in China in which suspects appeared to randomly target the public.

In October, a man was arrested after he allegedly attacked children with a knife at a school in Beijing. Five people were injured. In September, three people were killed and another 15 injured in a knife attack at a supermarket in Shanghai. Police said at the time that the suspect had personal financial disputes and had come to Shanghai to “vent his anger.”

In May, two people were killed and 21 injured in a knife attack at a hospital in Yunnan province.

Police, as usual, identified the man arrested in Monday's attack only by his surname, Fan, and said he was unconscious and receiving medical attention after being found with a knife in his car and injured.

A preliminary investigation revealed that he was unhappy with the division of assets in his divorce, police said.

Chinese authorities appeared to tightly control information about the incident. Internet censors tend to pay particular attention to cleaning up social media before and during major events such as the aviation exhibition or the annual session of the National People's Congress.

Almost 24 hours after the attack, it was unclear what the death toll or injury toll was. On Tuesday morning, a search on Chinese social media platform Weibo for the sports center yielded only a few posts, only some of which referred to the fact that something had happened, with no pictures or details. Chinese media articles on Monday evening about the incident have been removed.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for “strict” punishment for the perpetrator in accordance with the law in a statement on Tuesday evening.

He also called on all local governments to “strengthen the prevention and control of risks at the source, strictly prevent the occurrence of extreme cases, and resolve conflicts and disputes in a timely manner,” according to the official Xinhua news agency.