中國體育場發生汽車亂撞事件 數十人死亡

Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

Dozens killed in car rampage through Chinese stadium

Stephen McDonell - BBC China correspondent

13 November 2024

At least 35 people have been killed in a car attack in southern China, believed to be the deadliest known act of public violence in the country in decades.

Police say a man crashed his car into a stadium in Zhuhai on Monday where he ran down groups of people exercising on the sports track.

The "serious and vicious attack" also injured 45 people - among them elderly and children, local media report.

Police say the 62-year-old driver, identified as a Mr Fan, appeared to have acted out of unhappiness over a divorce settlement.

He was arrested as he tried to flee the Zhuhai Sports Center and is in a coma due to self-inflicted wounds, police said in a statement.

The incident has sparked a national outcry in China, where President Xi Jinping vowed "severe punishment" for the perpetrator, and called for "all-out efforts" to treat the injured.

When horror hits China, the first instinct is shut it down

Details of those who were killed have not been disclosed by authorities yet, but mourners and members of the public had begun laying flowers and other tributes outside the stadium on Tuesday.

The venue - featuring a running track loop - had been a popular exercise ground for locals. Witnesses told Chinese media it appeared Mr Fan had deliberately run people down.

One man named Mr Chen told Caixin news magazine he and his walking group had just completed a lap of the stadium when a car charged towards them at high speed, "knocking down many people".

Another person at the scene told Caixin: "It drove in a loop and people were hurt in all areas of the running track."

According to local police, who released a statement on Tuesday, they said their initial investigations suggested Mr Fan's actions were triggered by a property dispute following his divorce. He is still in a coma and so has not been questioned, police said.

The attack may be the deadliest act of random public violence in China in recent decades. A number have been reported this year including a mass stabbing and firearms attack in Shandong in February which killed at least 21 people. That incident was heavily censored by Chinese authorities.

Reports of Monday's attack were already being restricted online on Tuesday - with several videos taken by witnesses at the scene removed from Chinese social media platforms.

But some footage still circulating online showed dozens of people lying on the ground and being attended to by paramedics and bystanders.

In China it is common for censors to quickly take down social media videos which are linked to high-profile incidences of crime.

BBC journalists reporting from the stadium at Zhuhai on Tuesday were also harassed and told to stop filming.

China has seen a spate of violent attacks on members of the public in recent months that have been reported in local media to varying degrees.

In October, a knife attack at a top school in Beijing injured five people, while in September, a man went on a stabbing spree at a supermarket in Shanghai, killing three people and injuring several others.

Also in September, a 10-year-old Japanese student died a day after he was stabbed near his school in southern China.

Following Monday's car attack, Japan's embassy warned its nationals living in the country to avoid speaking Japanese loudly in public.

The incident in Zhuhai has also taken place during heightened security in the city, which is hosting a major military airshow this week. The attack on Monday night took place 40km (24 miles) from where the high-profile Airshow China kicked off on Tuesday.

China is showcasing its newest warplanes and attack drones at the show, which top Russian defence official and former defence minister Sergei Shoigu is expected to attend.

Several entrances and exits to the sports centre were closed during the airshow to facilitate "control", the centre's management said on Tuesday.

Translation

中國體育場發生汽車亂撞事件 數十人死亡

中國南方發生的一宗汽車襲擊事件已造成至少 35 人死亡，相信這是該國數十年來已知的最致命的公共暴力行為。

警方稱，週一，一名男子將汽車撞入珠海的一座體育場，撞倒了一群在跑道上運動的人。

據當地媒體報道，這宗「嚴重而惡毒的襲擊」還造成 45 人受傷，其中包括老人和兒童。

警方表示，這名 62 歲的司機Fan先生似乎是因為對離婚協議感到不滿而採取了這項行動。

警方在聲明中稱，他在試圖逃離珠海體育中心時被捕，由於自殘，目前處於昏迷狀態。

該事件在中國引發全國強烈抗議，國家主席習近平誓言「嚴懲」肇事者，並呼籲「全力以赴」救治傷者。

當恐怖襲擊中國時，第一個反應是刪除它

當局尚未透露遇難者的詳細信息，但哀悼者和公眾週二開始在體育場外獻花和其他悼念活動。

體育場設有環形跑道，曾是當地人喜愛的運動場地。目擊者告訴中國媒體，Fan先生似乎是故意撞人的。

一位名叫Chen先生的男子告訴Caixin新聞雜誌，他和他的步行小組剛剛繞完體育場一圈，一輛汽車高速沖向他們，「撞倒了很多人」。

另一位現場人士告訴Caixin：“車子打圈行駛，跑道上到處都有人受傷。”

當地警方週二發表聲明稱，初步調查顯示Fan先生的行為是由離婚後的財產糾紛引發的。警方稱，他仍處於昏迷狀態，因此沒有接受訊問。

這次攻擊可能是中國近幾十年來最致命的隨機公共暴力行為。今年已通報了多宗事件，包括 2 月在山東省發生的大規模持刀持槍攻擊事件，造成至少 21 人死亡。該事件受到中國當局的嚴格訊息審查。

週二，有關週一襲擊事件的報告已經在網路上受到限制 - 現場目擊者拍攝的幾段影片從中國社交媒體平台上被刪除。

但網路上仍在流傳的一些影片顯示，數十人躺在地上，並得到護理人員和旁觀者的照顧。

在中國，審查機構通常會迅速刪除那些會引人注目的犯罪事件的社群媒體影片。

週二在珠海體育場進行報道的英國廣播公司記者也遭到騷擾並被告知停止拍攝。

近幾個月來，中國發生了多宗針對公眾的暴力攻擊事件，當地媒體都有不同程度的通報。

10月，北京一所頂尖學校發生持刀攻擊事件，造成5人受傷；9月，一名男子在上海一家超市持刀行兇，造成3人死亡、數人受傷。

同樣在 9 月，一名 10 歲的日本學生在中國南部他的學校附近被刺傷，一天後死亡。

週一發生汽車攻擊事件後，日本大使館警告居住在該國的國民避免在公共場合大聲說日語。

珠海的事件也發生在該市加強安全防範期間，該市本週將舉辦一場大型軍事航展。週一晚上的襲擊發生在距週二備受矚目的中國航展開幕地點 40 公里（24 英里）。

中國將在此次展會上展示最新的戰機和攻擊無人機，俄羅斯國防高級官員、前國防部長·紹伊古預計將出席。

該中心管理層週二表示，航展期間該體育中心的多個出入口被關閉，以方便「控制」。

So, some 35 people have been killed in a car attack in southern China. China has seen a spate of violent attacks on members of the public in recent months. Last month, a knife attack at a top school in Beijing injured five people, while in September, a man went on a stabbing spree at a supermarket in Shanghai, killing three people and injuring several others. Also in September, a 10-year-old Japanese student died a day after he was stabbed near his school in southern China. I am wondering why so much social violence has happened in China in the past months.