In China, a motorist drives into the crowd at a sports center; at least 35 dead and dozens injured

Emergency vehicles are seen near the scene where a motorist hit several people in this image circulating on social media and verified by Reuters, in Zhuhai, southern China, on Tuesday November 12, 2024. SOCIAL MEDIA / REUTERS At least thirty-five people were killed and forty-three injured after a car drove into the crowd, Tuesday, November 12 in the early evening, in Zhuhai, in southern China, local police said. “A serious and vicious attack took place at the Zhuahu Sports Center, where a suspect drove a car into people who were training, leaving 35 people dead and 43 injured,” the police said. police in a press release. The driver, a 62-year-old man, “forced entry at the wheel of a small SUV and drove into the city’s sports center, knocking down people who were training in the interior aisles,” said know the police. The driver was arrested while he was stabbing himself with a knife “and was sent to hospital for treatment”, according to the same source. He is in a coma after injuring his neck and “is not in a condition to be questioned”, the police added. Closure of the center The BBC channel specifies that, according to the preliminary investigation, the attack was triggered by the suspect’s discontent regarding a disagreement linked to his divorce. Investigations are still ongoing. According to state media, one of the four hospitals in the region said it had treated around twenty injured people. As of Tuesday evening, searches on Chinese social media regarding the incident had been heavily censored. The Xiangzhou district sports center regularly attracts hundreds of residents, who can run on the athletics track or play football. Following the incident, the center announced its closure until further notice. The attack comes on the eve of the country’s largest aviation exhibition organized by the People’s Liberation Army, which is held annually in the city. The Chinese President, Xi Jinping, asked to do “everything necessary” to treat the injured, and wanted the perpetrator to be “punished in accordance with the law”. Le Monde with AP and AFP Reuse this content



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