On Monday, a 62-year-old man surnamed Fan ploughed a small SUV through a gate to a sports complex 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 morning, the rampage had left 35 people dead and 43 with injuries not deemed life-threatening, according to state media reports.
Police said Fan was apprehended at the scene but was in a coma after inflicting injuries to his neck and elsewhere with a knife, 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".
AFP reporters on the scene Tuesday night saw delivery drivers placing online orders of flower bouquets beside flickering candles to commemorate the victims.
In the early hours of Wednesday, cleaning staff cleared away the memorial, with some telling AFP they were acting on an "order from the top".
A handful of people closer to where the attack took place were blocked from taking videos by a police car and security guards shouting: "No filming!"
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 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.
In 2014, 31 people were killed and 143 were wounded in a knife attack at a railway station in the southwestern city of Kunming that officials later blamed on terrorism.
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.
35 killed, dozens wounded in south China car ramming
Zhuhai, China (AFP) Nov 12, 2024 -
A man killed 35 people and injured 43 more when he ploughed his car into those exercising around a sports centre in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, local police said Tuesday.
The toll from the Monday incident was a dramatic increase from the initial report, when police only said that people had been injured, with videos apparently scrubbed from social media.
A 62-year-old man surnamed Fan drove a small SUV through a gate and "forced his way into the city's sports centre, ramming people who were exercising on the internal roads", police said Tuesday.
Preliminary investigations suggested Fan's attack had been "triggered by (his) dissatisfaction with the division of property following his divorce", their statement said.
Footage from Monday night geolocated by AFP showed people lying motionless on the ground, while others were seen frantically attempting to resuscitate the unconscious.
An eyewitness surnamed Chen told Chinese news magazine Caixin it was common for groups to take daily walks on the dedicated track around the stadium.
He had just completed his third lap on Monday when a car suddenly sped at them and knocked down "many people", but he was able to jump aside.
Another eyewitness surnamed Liu told Caixin that the car "drove in a loop".
"People were hurt in all areas of the running track -- east, south, west, and north," he said.
Fan was "controlled on the spot" as he attempted to drive away, police said Tuesday.
He was found in his car cutting himself with a knife, and is currently in a coma after self-inflicted injuries to his neck and other parts of his body, unable to undergo interrogation, they added.
The 43 people wounded are not currently in life-threatening condition, police said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged "all-out efforts" to treat the injured and has "demanded punishing the perpetrator in accordance with the law", according to state news agency Xinhua.
China's largest airshow showcasing Beijing's civil and military aerospace sector is being held in Zhuhai at the moment.
- 'No filming' -
There were fewer than 20 people at the sports stadium on Tuesday night when AFP visited the scene.
Some were attempting to take videos but were blocked by a police car and security guards shouting "No filming!"
At another entrance, candles flickered at a makeshift memorial where people were sending online flower deliveries. One delivery driver said he had already brought 10 orders there that night.
"Zhuhai is supposed to be the safest city, nothing like this has ever happened here in the last decades," one resident told AFP.
A shocked young man told AFP he normally went running around the sports centre every night -- but hadn't on Monday as he was tired.
He lamented the media coverage of the incident, saying that in the past, local outlets would have pressed authorities for answers.
At around midnight, cleaners doused out the candles, and workers took away flowers, saying they had been ordered to move them to a different location and that the public could view them tomorrow.
Some of the workers told AFP the decision to move the flowers was an "order from the top."
Videos on social media earlier showed Zhuhai residents queuing up at blood donation centres and hospitals.
Security was high in front of the emergency room of a hospital near the crime scene, and a huge group of doctors and nurses was milling about.
- Safety alert -
In a safety alert, Japan's embassy in China warned its citizens on Tuesday to be on high alert and "refrain from speaking loudly in Japanese and avoid provocative, attention-drawing behaviour such as being loud in groups".
The embassy said it had no information that any Japanese citizens had been wounded in the attack, but noted China has seen a spate of violent public attacks in recent months.
In September, a Japanese schoolboy was fatally stabbed in the neighbouring city of Shenzhen, prompting outrage from Tokyo.
A man killed three people and wounded 15 in a knife attack at a supermarket in Shanghai in October.
And in July, police said a vehicle crashed into pedestrians in the central city of Changsha, killing eight.
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