Dubai Telegraph - China snuffs out memorials to victims of deadly car ramming attack

EUR -
AED 3.826681
AFN 70.327616
ALL 98.192804
AMD 406.067937
ANG 1.879076
AOA 951.190259
ARS 1045.840133
AUD 1.601828
AWG 1.877897
AZN 1.775245
BAM 1.957546
BBD 2.105077
BDT 124.589901
BGN 1.956284
BHD 0.392592
BIF 3016.094951
BMD 1.041829
BND 1.405287
BOB 7.204528
BRL 6.043693
BSD 1.04263
BTN 88.005286
BWP 14.243906
BYN 3.412124
BYR 20419.848375
BZD 2.101624
CAD 1.456946
CDF 2991.091432
CHF 0.930994
CLF 0.037254
CLP 1027.952249
CNY 7.54601
CNH 7.562783
COP 4605.144632
CRC 531.073558
CUC 1.041829
CUP 27.608468
CVE 110.75048
CZK 25.343745
DJF 185.15426
DKK 7.457312
DOP 62.978972
DZD 139.891631
EGP 51.726992
ERN 15.627435
ETB 128.155793
FJD 2.371151
FKP 0.822333
GBP 0.831468
GEL 2.855018
GGP 0.822333
GHS 16.464915
GIP 0.822333
GMD 73.970229
GNF 8992.026458
GTQ 8.048177
GYD 218.127645
HKD 8.109446
HNL 26.28575
HRK 7.431636
HTG 136.86204
HUF 411.533277
IDR 16610.452733
ILS 3.863061
IMP 0.822333
INR 87.968134
IQD 1365.316903
IRR 43834.955489
ISK 145.523076
JEP 0.822333
JMD 166.09811
JOD 0.738765
JPY 161.242873
KES 134.920816
KGS 90.122166
KHR 4220.449639
KMF 492.268155
KPW 937.645704
KRW 1463.259646
KWD 0.320727
KYD 0.868887
KZT 520.591707
LAK 22878.565176
LBP 93347.878651
LKR 303.450587
LRD 187.529583
LSL 18.888757
LTL 3.076251
LVL 0.630192
LYD 5.089375
MAD 10.49591
MDL 19.017231
MGA 4865.341785
MKD 61.54739
MMK 3383.819949
MNT 3540.134882
MOP 8.359474
MRU 41.574227
MUR 48.810083
MVR 16.10707
MWK 1807.573672
MXN 21.281613
MYR 4.654932
MZN 66.583684
NAD 18.888753
NGN 1767.675143
NIO 38.287608
NOK 11.531328
NPR 140.808938
NZD 1.78585
OMR 0.401107
PAB 1.042655
PEN 3.952739
PGK 4.194144
PHP 61.404399
PKR 289.423952
PLN 4.338074
PYG 8139.257775
QAR 3.792783
RON 4.976404
RSD 117.038068
RUB 108.671879
RWF 1427.305728
SAR 3.911717
SBD 8.734231
SCR 14.879628
SDG 626.663972
SEK 11.501974
SGD 1.402827
SHP 0.822333
SLE 23.68116
SLL 21846.638123
SOS 595.409088
SRD 36.978718
STD 21563.75683
SVC 9.123047
SYP 2617.626467
SZL 18.888745
THB 35.91223
TJS 11.103861
TMT 3.646401
TND 3.313541
TOP 2.440072
TRY 36.018972
TTD 7.081314
TWD 33.946439
TZS 2771.265486
UAH 43.133048
UGX 3852.435216
USD 1.041829
UYU 44.339112
UZS 13366.666402
VES 48.506662
VND 26482.251319
VUV 123.688032
WST 2.90836
XAF 656.558208
XAG 0.033274
XAU 0.000384
XCD 2.815595
XDR 0.793126
XOF 650.625955
XPF 119.331742
YER 260.379151
ZAR 18.862746
ZMK 9377.71492
ZMW 28.802098
ZWL 335.468513
  • RBGPF

    59.2400

    59.24

    +100%

  • BCC

    3.4200

    143.78

    +2.38%

  • VOD

    0.1323

    8.73

    +1.52%

  • RIO

    -0.2200

    62.35

    -0.35%

  • NGG

    1.0296

    63.11

    +1.63%

  • SCS

    0.2300

    13.27

    +1.73%

  • RELX

    0.9900

    46.75

    +2.12%

  • JRI

    -0.0200

    13.21

    -0.15%

  • CMSC

    0.0320

    24.672

    +0.13%

  • BCE

    0.0900

    26.77

    +0.34%

  • AZN

    1.3700

    65.63

    +2.09%

  • GSK

    0.2600

    33.96

    +0.77%

  • BTI

    0.4000

    37.38

    +1.07%

  • BP

    0.2000

    29.72

    +0.67%

  • CMSD

    0.0150

    24.46

    +0.06%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    6.79

    -0.15%

China snuffs out memorials to victims of deadly car ramming attack
China snuffs out memorials to victims of deadly car ramming attack / Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL - AFP

China snuffs out memorials to victims of deadly car ramming attack

Officials in southern China ramped up security on Wednesday at the site of one of the country's deadliest mass-casualty events in years, snuffing out makeshift memorials to the 35 people killed when a man drove a car into a crowd at a sports complex.

Text size:

On Monday, the 62-year-old man surnamed Fan ploughed a small SUV through a gate to the complex in the city of Zhuhai and into crowds of people as they exercised on the roads inside, according to police.

An initial police statement said people had been injured, but did not mention any deaths -- and videos of the attack later appeared to be scrubbed from China's tightly controlled social media platforms.

As of Wednesday, the rampage had left 35 people dead and 43 with injuries not deemed life-threatening, according to state media reports.

AFP witnessed residents and delivery drivers laying bouquets at a gate outside the complex on Wednesday morning, before the flowers were carried behind a cordon fence within minutes.

"What happened wasn't a small incident," a woman of about 50 told AFP, requesting anonymity to protect her privacy.

"We should remember those who passed away and not be so cold. I think more people in Zhuhai should come out here and lay some flowers in memorial," she added.

- Divorce 'dissatisfaction' -

Police said Fan was apprehended at the scene but was in a coma after self-inflicted knife injuries, preventing them from interrogating him.

But the force said preliminary enquiries suggested the attack was "triggered by (Fan's) dissatisfaction with the division of property following his divorce".

Security at the scene was tight on Wednesday, with plainclothes officers using their bodies and umbrellas to block AFP reporters from taking photos and videos.

Since Tuesday night, journalists had observed people placing candles and flowers near the site of the attack to commemorate the victims.

But cleaning staff removed the memorials in the early hours of Wednesday, with some telling AFP they were acting on an "order from the top".

Officials at the site said the items were being moved to a "mourning hall" inside the complex, with no access to the public.

Footage of Monday's incident geolocated by AFP showed people lying motionless on the ground, while others were seen frantically attempting to resuscitate the seemingly unconscious.

An eyewitness surnamed Liu told Chinese news magazine Caixin that the car "drove in a loop" around a dedicated exercise track encircling the stadium in the sports complex.

"People were hurt in all areas of the running track -- east, south, west, and north," he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged "all-out efforts" to treat the injured and "demanded punishing the perpetrator in accordance with the law", according to state news agency Xinhua.

The incident took place as Zhuhai hosts China's largest airshow, showcasing Beijing's civil and military aerospace sector.

- Spate of mass killings -

Violent crime is generally rare in China compared to many Western countries, but the Asian nation has witnessed a spate of deadly attacks in recent months.

In several cases, Beijing has described the killings as isolated incidents, or the motives of the perpetrators have not been publicly disclosed.

After the Zhuhai attack, Xi called on authorities to "strictly guard against the occurrence of extreme cases", Xinhua reported.

Japan's embassy warned its citizens in China to be on high alert and "refrain from speaking loudly in Japanese", despite no initial indications that any had been targeted.

In September, a Japanese schoolboy was fatally stabbed in the neighbouring city of Shenzhen, prompting an outcry from Tokyo.

A man killed three people and wounded 15 in a knife attack at a supermarket in Shanghai in October, while in July, police said a vehicle crashed into pedestrians in the central city of Changsha, killing eight.

Monday's incident is on a par with some of China's deadliest attacks in recent memory.

The same year, a vehicle ramming and suicide bombing in the northwestern city of Urumqi killed 43 -- including four assailants -- and wounded more than 90. The incident was also deemed a terror attack.

H.Yousef--DT