Thirty five people have been killed and 43 others injured in a "vicious" hit-and-run attack at a sports centre in China's southern city of Zhuhai, local authorities say.
Police said in a statement on Tuesday that a 62-year-old male driver was detained at the scene. They identified the man only by his family name of Fan, consistent with the practice by Chinese authorities.
"A serious and vicious attack occurred at the Zhuhai Sports Centre, in which the suspect rammed a car into people who were exercising, resulting in 35 deaths and 43 injuries," they said.
Police allege that on Monday night the man drove "a small SUV through the gate and forced his way into the city's sports centre, ramming people who were exercising on the internal roads of the sports centre".
The man is currently in a coma in hospital due to self-inflicted injuries, according to police.
The incident took place on the eve of a major aviation exhibition by the People's Liberation Army that is hosted annually in the city.
Police said their preliminary investigation suggested the incident was triggered by Fan's discontent following a divorce.
Residents lay flowers and wreaths at the site of the attack in Zhuahi. (Reuters photo: Tingshu Wang)
President Xi Jinping, cited by Chinese state television CCTV, ordered all-out efforts to treat the injured and demanded severe punishment for the perpetrator.
The central government has dispatched a team to provide guidance on handling of the case, CCTV said.
On Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, users expressed their shock at the death toll.
"Last night after work, when I watched the news, there weren't this many people reported," one user said.
"Tonight, suddenly seeing this number — so many families affected."
Videos on the social media platform also showed Zhuhai residents queuing up at blood donation centres and hospitals.
By Tuesday morning, searches for the incident on Chinese social media were heavily censored on Chinese social media platforms.
A search on Weibo for the sports centre only turned up a few posts, with only a couple referring to the fact something had happened, without pictures or details. Articles by Chinese media about the incident from Monday night were taken down.
Chinese internet censors take extra care to scrub social media ahead of and during major events, such as the meeting of the National People’s Congress, where the government announces its major policy initiatives for the coming year.
The attack occurred outside a sports centre in the southern city of Zhuhai. (Reuters)
The sports centre for the city district of Xiangzhou regularly attracts hundreds of residents, where they can run on the track field, play soccer and social dance.
Following the incident, the centre announced it would be closed until further notice.
China has seen a number of attacks in which suspects appear to target random people such as school children.
In October, a 50-year-old man was detained after he allegedly used a knife to attack children at a school in Beijing, injuring five people.
In September, three people were killed in a knife attack in a Shanghai supermarket.
Reuters/AP