Dozens killed as car ploughs into crowd exercising at China sports centre

Police say the alleged attacker was upset about his divorce

At least 35 people were killed and 43 others sustained injuries after a man rammed his car into people at a sports centre in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai which is hosting the country’s biggest annual air show this week.

Police detained a 62-year-old man suspected of hitting the joggers and speeding off on Monday evening, according to the state media. The alleged driver, identified as Mr Fan, drove his SUV through a barrier at Zhuhai Sports Centre in what local police say was a "serious and vicious attack". He is in a coma and being treated for wounds thought to be self-inflicted.

Initial investigations suggested the attack had been triggered by unhappiness over a divorce property settlement, police said. Because he is still in a coma, he has yet to be questioned.

Chinese president Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged all-out efforts to treat those injured in the ramming incident. “All localities and relevant departments should make effort to ensure the safety of people’s lives and social stability,” he said according to the state media.

Mr Xi also called for the "strict" punishment of the perpetrator.

Videos from the incident showed a firefighter performing CPR on a person, as people were told to leave the scene. Other videos shared on X (Twitter) by blogger and dissident Li Ying, who is better known as Teacher Li, showed injured people scattered on the road in a pool of blood.

In one, a woman says “My foot is broken.”

Most of the injured people were wearing the same clothes and were reportedly part of a group of middle-aged and elderly people exercising on the track.

By Tuesday morning, searches for the incident on Chinese social media were heavily censored and searches on Weibo for the sports centre only turned up a few posts.

Fighter jets of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force’s Bayi aerobatic team perform at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition (Reuters)

The sports centre for the city district of Xiangzhou regularly attracts hundreds of residents, where they can run on the track, play football and dance. Following the incident, the centre announced it would be closed until further notice.

Zhuhai is hosting China’s biggest annual air show this week where a new stealth jet fighter, the J-35A, will be on display for the first time.

The aircraft adds to the airpower of the world’s fastest-growing military and is part of an effort by Beijing to match America’s military capabilities as it modernises its armed forces.

Violent crime is rare in China due to tight security and strict gun laws. However, a rise in reports of knife attacks in large cities has drawn public attention to safety in public spaces.

In October, a man was detained after he allegedly attacked children with a knife at a school in Beijing. Five people were wounded. In September, three people were killed in a knife attack in a Shanghai supermarket, and another 15 were injured. Police said at the time that the suspect had personal financial disputes and came to Shanghai to "vent his anger." In May, two people were killed and 21 injured in a knife attack in a hospital in Yunnan province.