35 killed, 43 injured in ‘vicious’ case in sports centre
President Xi Jinping has made an important instruction on a “vicious” case where 35 people were killed and 43 others were injured after a car skittled people exercising in a sports centre in Zhuhai on Monday night, urging all-out efforts to treat the injured, the nation’s news agency Xinhua reported last night.
The Xinhua report said that after the incident, Xi, also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the chairman of the Central Military Commission, has paid close attention to and made an important instruction on the incident, saying that the “extremely vicious” case resulted in significant casualties.
According to the report, Xi has urged all-out efforts to treat the injured and called for the careful handling of the aftermath of the incident by providing comfort and support for the injured and the families of the casualties.
Xi has demanded that the perpetrator be severely punished in accordance with the law, the report said.
According to the Xinhua report, Xi has urged all localities and relevant authorities to draw lessons from the case, and to strengthen their prevention and control of risks at the source.
Xi also emphasised the importance of resolving conflicts and disputes on time, preventing the occurrence of extreme cases, and making every effort to safeguard the safety of people’s lives and social stability.
Meanwhile, according to last night’s Xinhua report, Premier Li Qiang has called for the appropriate handling of the aftermath of the incident, swift investigation into the case, and severely punishing the perpetrator in accordance with the law.
Li has urged coordinated risk prevention and control efforts to ensure social stability, the report said.
The report also said that following Xi’s important instruction, the central authorities have dispatched a team to Zhuhai to oversee the handling of the case.
Unhappy with property division after divorce
The Zhuhai Municipal Public Security Bureau announced details of the case, which occurred at Zhuhai Sports Centre on Monday night, in a statement yesterday.
The statement said that a “serious and vicious attack” occurred at the sports centre at 7:48 p.m. on Monday where a car ploughed into people who were exercising there.
The 62-year-old suspect, a divorced man surnamed Fan, was quickly brought under control by the police as he was fleeing the scene, the statement said.
According to the statement, 35 people died after emergency treatment to save their lives had failed, while 43 others were injured and hospitalised. Yesterday’s statement said that the 43 people wounded did not have life-threatening injuries.
A preliminary investigation indicates that Fan’s actions stemmed from his dissatisfaction with the property division outcome of his divorce, the police said.
The statement said that Fan drove a small SUV through a gate and forced his way into the city’s sports centre, ploughing into people who were exercising on the internal roads of the sports centre.
The statement said that Fan was “controlled on the spot by the police who rushed to the scene as he attempted to drive away”.
The police found Fan in his car cutting himself with a knife, before they stopped him and took him to hospital, according to the statement.
The statement said that Fan was still receiving medical treatment as he was in a coma due to severe injuries to his neck and other areas, because of which he was still unable to be questioned by the police.
Yesterday’s statement said that the police have filed a case to investigate Fan on suspicion of endangering public safety by dangerous means and have placed him under criminal detention.
Further investigation into the case and medical treatment for the injured are underway, the Zhuhai police said.
Meanwhile, the Macau Unitary Police Service (SPU) told public broadcaster TDM last night that the Zhuhai authorities were still checking whether any of the casualties of Monday’s case in the neighbouring city included Macau residents.
The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) told TDM last night that as of last night it had not received any requests from Macau residents for assistance concerning the incident.
A report by news agency AFP yesterday about the case in Zhuhai said that the Chinese mainland has seen a spate of violent public attacks in recent months.
AFP report noted that a man killed three people and wounded 15 in a knife attack at a supermarket in Shanghai and a Japanese schoolboy was stabbed in Shenzhen and died of his injuries in September.
In July, police said a vehicle crashed into pedestrians Changsha, Hunan Province’s capital, killing eight.
A group of men leave flowers outside the Zhuhai Sports Centre last night, a day after a car ploughed through the site killing 35 and injuring 43. – AFP
