UPDATE - 35 killed, 43 injured in China car-ramming

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT BY CHINESE PRESIDENT, MORE DETAILS; REVISES DECK

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 35 people were killed and 43 others injured in a car-ramming incident in southern China on Tuesday, state media reported.

The incident occurred Monday night outside a stadium in the city of Zhuhai in the southeastern Guangdong province when a 62-year-old man drove his car into a crowd, police said.

It was an act of “self-harm” by the suspect, police added.

The suspect, whose last name is Fan, was stopped by police when he tried to kill himself and was rushed to hospital. Injured by a self-inflicted knife cut, he is currently comatose.

Police said an initial investigation indicated that the suspect was motivated “by dissatisfaction with the division of marital property from his divorce.”

The incident drew attention from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who directed officials to make "all-out efforts to treat the injured."

Demanding the accused be punished under the law, Xi also directed local governments to “strictly prevent extreme cases.”