China censored the Zhuhai attack, an incident that was reported by authorities a day later

Chinese authorities only reported the attack in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai a day after the incident.

In the city of millions I drove a car on Monday into a group of people at a sports venue. 35 people were killed and 43 people were injured. Yesterday, a day later, that news was only released by the authorities.

The attack took place on the eve of an important air show involving military aircraft. Related to this, strict security measures were in place at the time. The Chinese authorities do not see any connection between the attack and the incident.

Shortly after the incident, images of the incident circulated on social media, but were reportedly quickly censored. Messaging site Weibo (similar to Facebook) censored hashtags related to the attack. Articles from Chinese media containing interviews with survivors were quickly removed on Monday and Tuesday. Later, only articles containing information from the Chinese authorities could be read.

Moreover, Chinese state media did not initially mention the attack in their news broadcasts. They mostly reported on President Xi Jinping’s visit to Peru.

At the site of the attack, people lay flowers and wreaths and burn candles. Reuters news agency writes that the flowers and wreaths are quickly removed by the authorities. Reuters also writes that its own reporter was not allowed to talk to someone who had sent flowers. Filming at the location was also not allowed.

Censored news is not uncommon in China. The news is more often scrutinized and censored around major or sensitive events in the country. Perhaps the bad news of the attack should not outweigh the good news of the air show.

After the attack, the 62-year-old driver of the car was arrested. According to the Chinese police, there was an intention. The man is said to be angry about his divorce.