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CHINA-ACCIDENT
11 dead, dozens hurt as driver rams into crowd in China
BEIJING, Sept 13, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Two more people have died after a
driver ploughed into a crowded Chinese public square, bringing the death toll
to 11, local officials said Thursday.
The incident on Wednesday evening injured another 44 people, according to
officials from Hengdong city in central Hunan province.
Police have taken the driver — a man in his 40s surnamed Yang — into
custody, describing him as a “vengeful repeat offender”.
“He drove the car by himself into the crowd at Yujiang Square that night
and had with him shovels and daggers to attack the crowd, intending to cause
serious damage,” a Thursday police statement said.
Yang’s previous offences included drug charges, theft and intentionally
causing hurt, according to the statement.
Pictures reportedly from the scene and shared on social media showed a red
SUV with a crushed bumper.
Videos of the incident circulated briefly on social media, but were
quickly removed by censors.
Violent crime has risen in China in recent decades as the country’s
economic boom has widened the gap between rich and poor. Police have also
previously blamed such attacks on militant separatists.
In 2013, two tourists were killed when a car rammed into bystanders in
Beijing’s iconic Tiananmen Square before bursting into flames.
Three attackers also died in the incident, which Beijing blamed on
separatists from the restive western region of Xinjiang.
BSS/AFP/IJ/1649 hrs