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 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 in a press release.
The driver, named Fan, 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.
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”.
Chinese President Xi Jinping asked that “everything necessary” be done to treat the injured, and wanted the perpetrator to be “punished in accordance with the law”.
The most important Chinese civil and military air show is currently taking place in the same city.
Videos from Monday evening geotagged by AFP showed people lying on the ground, motionless, while others frantically tried to resuscitate them.
Blood donation
According to videos posted on the Chinese social network Xiaohongshu, residents of Zhuhai lined up in front of establishments to donate blood.
Several Internet users expressed their shock on this network at the number of victims.
“Last night, after work, when I watched the news, there was no mention of so many victims,” one wrote, commenting on a photo from the police press release. And “tonight I suddenly see this number – so many families affected.”
The country has seen a series of violent attacks in recent months.
A man killed three people and injured 15 in a stabbing attack at a Shanghai supermarket in October.
In September, a Japanese schoolboy was stabbed in the southern city of Shenzen and died of his injuries, sparking a strong reaction from Tokyo. Shenzen is approximately 155 km from Zhuhai by road.
And in July, a vehicle drove into passers-by in the city of Changsa (center), killing eight people.
Relations between Japan and China tend to deteriorate as Beijing strengthens its military capacity in the region and Japan strengthens its security ties with the United States and its allies.
