Wounded people lie on the ground after a suspected hit-and-run attack outside a sports centre in China's Zhuhai. (Image: Reuters)Reuters

35 killed in China after car drives into group of people outside sports centre

Chinese Police have arrested a 62-year-old man who allegedly ran his car into pedestrians outside the sports centre in Zhuhai city which killed around 35 people and injured over 40.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Car rams into pedestrians outside the sports centre in Zhuhai
  • 62-year-old driver, who fled the scene after hitting people, arrested
  • Incident occurred day before biggest annual airshow in Zhuhai

At least 35 people were killed and around 43 others injured after a car lost control and veered into a crowd gathered outside a sports centre in China's southern city of Zhuhai, news agency Reuters reported.

The 62-year-old driver of the car was arrested soon after the incident which took place on Monday evening.

A verified video of the hit-and-run incident showed several people lying on the road. As ambulances arrived to transport the injured to the hospital, cries of 'terrorist' could be heard in the background. In one of the videos, a woman can be heard saying "My foot is broken".

Police arrested the accused, identified by the surname Fan, for deliberately driving a small car into a group of pedestrians outside a sports centre at 7.48 pm local time (11.48 am GMT) before fleeing the scene.

The police statement said the vehicle knocked down "a number of" pedestrians Monday evening. Authorities have yet to disclose a motive for the incident.

The Xiangzhou City District Sports Center regularly attracts hundreds of residents who use its facilities for activities such as running on the track, playing soccer, and social dancing.

The accident took place a day before a major airshow, organised by People's Liberation Army (PLA), opened in Zhuhai.

Zhuhai is hosting China's biggest annual air show this week, where a new stealth jet fighter will be on display for the first time.

According to news agency Associated Press, searches for the incident on Chinese social media were heavily censored on Tuesday morning and even news reports by Chinese media were taken down.