Binjiang Square crash – Land Rover ploughs into crowd killing nine and injuring more than 40 in Chinese square
Distressing footage shows bodies lying on the ground as shocked bystanders react to the carnage
A LAND ROVER ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians in China killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more.
The red SUV drove onto the square in Mishui town, part of Hengyang city in Hunan province, shortly before 8pm local time.
Local government officials said the driver had a criminal record and he was detained at the scene.
Distressing images carried on state media showed several bodies on the ground as bystanders tended to some of them.
There was no indication in the government statement or state media reports that the incident was terror related.
Police identified the suspect as a 54-year-old Chinese man named Yang Zanyun from the same county who had served several prison sentences for convictions including arson and assault.
The Hengyang city government office confirmed the death toll and said 46 people had been injured.
China has experienced violent attacks in public places in recent years, including bombings and arson of buses and buildings, sometimes by people trying to settle personal scores or grievances against society.
Occasionally, the attacks are attributed to militant separatists, though such attacks have become less common in recent years. In 2013, an SUV plowed through a crowd in front of Beijing's Forbidden City before crashing and catching fire, killed five, including the vehicle's three occupants.
Police blamed the attack on Muslim separatists from the Uighur ethnic minority group.
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