China: A car drove into a crowd of people outside the Zhuhai Stadium in China, leaving over 20 individuals injured, police reported. The 62-year-old driver, pinpointed only by his surname Fan, was detained following the incident, which unfolded in an area currently under heavy security due to a major airshow in the city.
The injured included many who were using a designated walking path around the stadium for exercise. According to an eyewitness, Mr. Chen, the incident occurred as six groups of people assembled at the stadium for their regular walk. Mr. Chen’s group had finished their third lap around the stadium when the car suddenly surged towards them at high speed, “knocking down many people.”
“The car drove in a loop, harming people on all sections of the walking track—east, south, west, and north,” another witness recounted. Several elderly people, teenagers, and children were among those hurt. Many were rushed to local hospitals for medical care, with some appearing to be unconscious.
Although most videos of the incident were swiftly removed from Chinese social media, the remaining footage shows paramedics and bystanders tending to individuals sprawled on the ground.
The crash occurred with increased security around Zhuhai, where the high-profile Airshow China event is underway, showcasing advanced Chinese warplanes and drones. The venue for the airshow, located just 40 km (24 miles) from the stadium, has provoked heightened measures, with certain stadium entrances and exits closed for “control,” according to its management.
The motive behind the crash remains vague. However, it comes with a recent wave of violent public attacks in China, including a deadly stabbing at a Shanghai supermarket in September and an attack on a young student near his school in southern China that same month.