On November 11 at around 7:48 pm a serious criminal incident occurred at Zhuhai Sports Center in Guangdong Province, where a suspect drove his vehicle into a crowd of exercising citizens. The attack resulted in the deaths of 35 people despite emergency medical efforts, and 43 others were hospitalised with injuries (none of them currently life-threatening). The police quickly arrived on the scene, apprehending the suspect, Fan (male, 62, divorced), and assisted in rescuing the injured.

On the day of the incident, Fan forced his way into the sports centre by crashing through a barrier with a small SUV, intentionally ramming into citizens who were exercising on the internal roads. As he attempted to flee, police officers on site apprehended him.

Fan was found in the car and officers immediately intervened and took him to the hospital for treatment. Due to severe self-inflicted injuries to his neck and other areas, Fan fell into a coma and is currently undergoing medical care, making it temporarily impossible for the police to question him.

Preliminary investigations by law enforcement, based on on-site analysis, video footage, witness testimonies, and electronic evidence, indicate that the incident was triggered by Fan’s dissatisfaction with the outcome of property division following his divorce.

The police have opened a case against Fan on suspicion of endangering public safety through dangerous means and have placed him under criminal detention. The investigation, as well as the rescue and medical care for the victims, are ongoing.

Following the incident, emergency response mechanisms were immediately activated by the Guangdong provincial and Zhuhai city authorities, deploying hundreds of rescue personnel to the scene. Medical teams provided initial care and transported the critically injured to hospitals as quickly as possible. Multiple hospitals within the province mobilised expert teams to support the efforts in Zhuhai.

The National Health Commission has given this matter top priority, dispatching a medical emergency team with 11 national-level experts to Zhuhai yesterday to guide and support local rescue efforts. Zhuhai city has concentrated its best medical resources on the rescue operations to ensure that all victims receive timely and effective treatment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed deep concern over the incident and issued important directives. He emphasised the need for comprehensive efforts to treat the injured, ensure they receive the best medical care, and to punish the perpetrator in accordance with the law to uphold social justice. He also called for strengthened preventive measures to mitigate the risk of similar extreme incidents in the future.