Chinese authorities on Wednesday stepped up their presence around the site of an attack à the car-ramming that killed 35 people, the worst massacre in recent years in the country, by dismantling in particular a place of homage. < /p> A 62-year-old man drove an SUV into people exercising outdoors at a sports complex in Zhuhai on Monday night ( South China), police said Tuesday. In an initial statement, it had only mentioned an undetermined number of injured. Images of the tragedy had also been removed from social networks by censors. According to the latest official report, the attack left 35 dead and 43 injured. AFP journalists saw residents and delivery men continuing to lay flowers at the entrance to the complex on Wednesday. But the bouquets were then moved to an area not accessible to the public. “What happened is not a small incident,” a woman in her fifties, who requested anonymity, told AFP. “We must remember those who died and not be indifferent. I think more people in Zhuhai should come and lay flowers in their memory,” she added. China: Deadly car-ramming attack © AFP – Nick SHEARMAN A sign of the sensitivity of the subject, many comments have been deleted on the Chinese social network Weibo. But some have managed to slip through the net. “People full of life, taken away like this and leaving broken families… The perpetrator must be severely punished,” wrote one Internet user. – Divorce problem? – The driver was arrested on Monday at the time he was stabbing himself, particularly in the neck, according to the police. Hospitalized and in a coma, he “is not in a condition to undergo questioning,” she said. The first elements of the investigation suggest that he may have committed his act because of “his dissatisfaction with the division of property following his divorce.” A police vehicle parked in front of the Zhuhai sports center the day after a deadly car-ramming attack on November 12, 2024 in Guangdong province, southern China © AFP – Hector RETAMAL Since Tuesday, people have been placing candles and flowers near the scene of the tragedy. But during the night, staff began taking these bouquets and candles elsewhere, telling AFP that they were following instructions “from above”. Some reported that the flowers and candles were being moved to a “mourning room” inside the complex, which was inaccessible to the public. Images of the attack, released Monday and geolocated by AFP, showed people lying motionless on the ground, while passers-by tried to revive other victims. A witness quoted by Chinese media outlet Caixin said the vehicle drove in circles, likely to mow down as many people as possible. “People were injured in all areas of the race track: east, south, west and north,” he said. This finding is corroborated by an AFP analysis of the geolocation of available images, suggesting that the driver used this track to mow down people. – “Stability” – Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for “everything necessary” to be done to treat the wounded, according to the Xinhua news agency. Flowers and candles are laid outside the Zhuhai Sports Center, a day after a deadly car-ramming attack in Zhuhai, on November 12, 2024 in Guangdong province, southern China © AFP – MICHAEL ZHANG The incident came as Zhuhai hosts China's largest civil and military air show. The Communist Party leader in Guangdong province, where Zhuhai is located, called at a meeting for “deep introspection,” according to state media. Huang Kunming also urged “stronger measures” to “ensure security and stability.” Such killings are rare in the country. “China is among the safest nations in the world,” Lin Jian, a spokesman for Chinese diplomacy, stressed on Wednesday, questioned during a regular press briefing. The country has nevertheless experienced some deadly attacks in recent months. In Shanghai in October, a man killed three people and injured 15 others in a knife attack in a supermarket. In September, a Japanese schoolboy was stabbed to death in Shenzhen (south). In another register, in March 2014, a stabbing attack against passengers at Kunming station (southwest) left around thirty dead and more than 140 injured. The authorities had designated separatist militants from the Xinjiang region (northwest) as those responsible for this “terrorist” attack. The same year in May, an attack against civilians in a market in Urumqi, capital of this region of Xinjiang, left 39 dead. All reproduction and representation rights reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse
By Teilor Stone
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116