Elementary Students and Parents in Hunan Province Targeted by Vehicle Ramming
Xinhua News Agency "Multiple Injuries... Damage Scale Unconfirmed"
One Week After '78 Casualties' Vehicle Ramming Incident
Frequent Vehicle Rammings and Stabbings Recently in China
An incident occurred in southern China's Hunan Province where a car ran into children on their way to elementary school. [Photo by Weibo]
Amid a series of large-scale casualties in China, an incident occurred in southern Hunan Province where a car rammed into children on their way to an elementary school.
On the 19th, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported, "Around 8 a.m. (local time), a white compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) charged at students and parents on their way to school in front of an elementary school in Changde County, Hunan Province." The outlet stated, "Many students and adults were injured and fell to the ground, causing chaos at the scene," adding, "The exact number of casualties is currently unknown." The SUV driver was apprehended at the scene by student parents and school security personnel.
An incident occurred in southern China's Hunan Province where a car ran into children on their way to elementary school. Weibo
Videos shared on Chinese social networking services (SNS) such as Weibo show several elementary students with backpacks lying on the ground in front of the school, along with injured individuals presumed to be school security staff and students, visibly in pain. Frightened students are seen running in all directions, and some students who were not hit by the vehicle are seen trying to help others who had fallen. Immediately after the accident, parents who had come out to send their children to school were also seen pulling the driver out of the car and subduing him, and these scenes have been widely circulated.
Recently in China, 'random attacks' such as vehicle ramming and stabbing incidents have occurred repeatedly. On the 11th, a vehicle ran into citizens in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, killing 35 and injuring 43. On the weekend of the 16th, a stabbing occurred at a vocational school in Jiangsu Province, resulting in 8 deaths and 17 injuries. The BBC analyzed that the background of these major crimes is social discontent stemming from China's slowing economic growth rate and high youth unemployment. The U.S. Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also reported, "These crimes are occurring in a situation where China is facing an economic downturn and a loss of confidence in the future."
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