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35 people died after a driver crashed into a crowd in China
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35 people died after a driver crashed into a crowd in China

Chinese police said 35 people were killed and 43 injured when a driver crashed his car into people exercising at a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai.

BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese police say 35 people died and 43 were injured when a driver crashed his car into people exercising at a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai.

The 62-year-old driver was taken into custody, police said in a statement early Monday. It is not yet clear whether it was an attack or an accident. While no cause was given, police said investigations were ongoing.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Below is AP’s earlier story.

BANGKOK (AP) — A 62-year-old man was detained after his car crashed into people exercising at a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, police said late Monday, on the eve of the country’s premier aviation expo. The People’s Liberation Army is hosted in the city every year.

The incident, which occurred on Monday night, faced heavy censorship as the Zhuhai Airshow opened on Tuesday. So far, authorities have not announced the number of dead or injured. More than 20 people were injured in one of the four hospitals accepting people for treatment, state media reported on Monday.

It is not yet clear whether it was an attack or an accident. While no cause was given, police said investigations were ongoing.

Police identified the man only by his surname Fan, in accordance with Chinese authorities’ practice. The police statement said the vehicle hit “several” pedestrians on Monday evening.

A man at the emergency clinic of Shang Chong Hospital in Zhuhai said they admitted some minor injuries and most left after treatment. Zhuhai People’s Hospital said it had received injured people, but did not provide detailed information about the death toll. Calls to Xiangzhou District People’s Hospital and Zhuhai Third People’s Hospital went unanswered.

The videos showed a firefighter performing CPR on a person while people were told to leave the scene. These were shared on X by news blogger and dissident Li Ying, better known as Teacher Li. His account publishes daily news based on user posts. In the videos, dozens of people were lying face down on the running track in the sports center. In one, a woman says, “My foot is broken.”

On Tuesday morning, searches on Chinese social media about the incident were heavily censored on Chinese social media platforms. A search on Weibo for the sports center revealed only a few posts; only a few posts addressed the fact that something was happening without pictures or details. Chinese media articles about the incident were removed on Monday night.

Chinese internet censors take extra care to purge social media before and during major events such as the National People’s Congress meeting, where the government announces major policy initiatives for the next year.

The sports center of Xiangzhou city district regularly attracts hundreds of residents; Here they can run on the athletic field, play football and social dance. Following the incident, the center announced that it would be closed until further notice.

China has seen a number of attacks in which suspects targeted random people such as school children.

In October, a 50-year-old man was detained for allegedly using a knife. attacking children At a school in Beijing. Five people were injured. 3 people died in the attack in September Stabbing attack in a supermarket in Shanghai.

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Associated Press reporters Elsie Chen and Didi Tang contributed from Washington, and researcher Yu Bing contributed from Beijing.