Thirty-five people were killed in a car attack at the Zhuhai Sports Centre on Monday – just 8 kilometres from downtown Macao – after a man mowed down groups of exercisers while behind the wheel of an SUV, multiple media outlets have reported.
At least 43 people, including children and the elderly, were injured in the attack that took place shortly before 8 pm. Zhuhai police say the suspect, a 62-year-old man with the last name Fan, attempted to take his own life afterwards and was taken to hospital. He is currently in a coma.
More than 300 medical workers from five hospitals were treating the wounded, alongside a team of 11 specialists dispatched by the National Health Commission on Tuesday. President Xi Jinping has vowed “all-out efforts” to help the injured.
Police say the attack appears to have been triggered by a property dispute following Fan’s divorce. Such “lone wolf” attacks are a matter of increasing concern for law enforcement officials.
Two apparently random fatal knife attacks were reported in China in September, when three people were killed in a supermarket in Shanghai and a Japanese schoolboy murdered in Shenzhen. In October, an attack in Guangzhou left two primary school pupils and an adult wounded, while five people – three of them pupils – were wounded outside a school in Beijing.
Last January, six people were killed in a car attack in Guangzhou, while in 2021 a deliberate crash in the northern city of Dalian killed five. However, the Zhuhai attack is believed to be the deadliest act of public violence carried out on the mainland in decades, and has sparked national outcry.
Huang Kunming, Guangdong party secretary and a politburo member, has called for a “thorough investigation” of the handling of all types of civil disputes, the South China Morning Post reports, while urging officials to support “people in hardship” and strengthen social security provisions
The Zhuhai attack comes at a difficult time for the local government, taking place on the eve of the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, when the city plays host to many foreign business leaders and dignitaries. President Xi is also expected to visit Zhuhai next month.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or having thoughts of suicide, call the Caritas-Life Hope Hotline of Macao. English and Portuguese-language services can be reached on 2852 5777 and operate from 2 pm to 11 pm, Sunday to Tuesday, and from 9 am to 6 pm, Thursday to Saturday. It is closed on Wednesdays and public holidays. Chinese-language services operate 24/7 on 2852 5222. In an emergency, call 999, 110 or 112.
