Thirty-five people were killed and 43 injured after a car drove into a crowd Monday evening in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, local police said Tuesday.
The authorities reported on Monday that a car had hit pedestrians in Zhuhai, but the police then only reported injuries, and videos of the tragedy were subsequently removed from social networks.
On Tuesday, police announced that a “serious and vicious attack” took place at the Zhuhai Sports Center, leaving 35 people dead and 43 injured.
The Japanese embassy in China subsequently warned Japanese nationals, asking them to “refrain from speaking loudly in Japanese and to avoid any provocative behavior that attracts attention, such as forming noisy groups.” .
She said there were no reports of Japanese citizens being injured.
According to Chinese police, the vital prognosis of the injured in Zhuhai is not serious.
The aftermath of a divorce
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 the police.
He is in a coma after injuring his neck and “is not in a condition to be questioned”, the police added.
Initial elements of the investigation suggest that the man may have committed his act because of “his dissatisfaction with the division of property following his divorce”.
The most important Chinese civil and military air show is currently taking place in the same city.
ats/ebz
Swiss
