The attack left at least 35 dead and more than 40 injured. The driver intentionally injured himself with a stab in his car and was taken to hospital.
On the evening of Monday, October 11, a car-ramming attack took place in the city of Zhuhai, near a sports center in the city, located in the south of the country. Local police announce an initial toll of at least 35 dead and 43 seriously injured. The city is to host a major air show where military demonstrations are planned.
The driver is a 62-year-old man named Fan. The latter inflicted numerous wounds on his neck with a knife. He was arrested by police after trying to flee. According to the first elements of the investigation collected by the local police, the attack could have been triggered after Fan’s recent divorce.
Censored tributes, silent state media
Chinese President Xi Jinping, quoted by state television CCTV, called for “all efforts be made to treat the injured” and demands “a severe punishment against the perpetrator”. These are the only words that television will broadcast, completely skipping the coverage of the facts according to Reuters. China Daily, another state media outlet, also did not report the incident.
On Weibo, a sort of Chinese X, a hashtag was launched by users mentioning the number of deaths. The social network quickly censored it. Some also criticized the government’s slow response, with comments deleted.
Many Chinese people also gathered at the scene of the attack to leave flowers, candles and bottles of alcohol in tribute to the victims. Offerings which were very quickly withdrawn by security agents who also prohibited journalists from speaking to people on site.
The foreign minister praises the country as one of the safest in the world. Although the country is very secure and firearms are prohibited, recent months have seen an increase in the number of stabbing attacks.
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