At least 35 people were killed and 43 others injured after a car slammed into a crowd of people exercising outside a stadium in Zhuhai, China, on Monday evening, authorities said.
A 62-year-old driver surnamed Fan allegedly drove a small SUV through a barrier and into the Zhuhai sports center, hitting several civilians, local police said in a statement.
He was arrested while trying to flee, police said, and is currently in a coma due to self-inflicted injuries.
They preliminarily determined that the incident was triggered by Fan's dissatisfaction with the outcome of a property settlement following his divorce.
Due to his coma, he cannot be questioned by the authorities.
Most videos of the incident posted by eyewitnesses have since been removed from Chinese social media, but some images still circulating online show many people lying on the ground being treated by paramedics and bystanders.
An eyewitness, Mr Chen, told Chinese news magazine Caixin that at least six groups of people had gathered at the stadium for their usual walks when the incident occurred.
Groups follow a designated walking path that traces the perimeter of the stadium.
Mr Chen said his group had just completed their third lap of the stadium when a car suddenly rushed towards them at high speed, “knocking down many people”.
“It drove in a loop and people were injured in all areas of the race track – east, south, west and north,” another eyewitness told Caixin.
The media outlet reported that many elderly people, as well as teenagers and children, were among the injured.
The incident occurred despite increased security measures in the city, which hosts a major civil and military aviation show.
It is unclear whether the incident was linked to the high-profile Chinese air show, which kicked off Tuesday at a venue just 40km from the stadium. China is showcasing its latest fighter jets and attack drones at the show, and senior Russian official Sergei Shoigu is expected to attend.
Several entrances and exits to the sports center were closed during the aeronautical meeting to facilitate “control”, the center's management said on Tuesday.
The investigation into this matter as well as the treatment of the injured are ongoing.
China has seen a wave of violent attacks against members of the public in recent months.
In September, a man carried out a stabbing attack at a Shanghai supermarket, killing three people and injuring several others.
The same month, a 10-year-old Japanese student died one day after being stabbed near his school in southern China.
