As many as 35 people were killed and 43 others injured when a car deliberately  ploughed into pedestrians on Monday evening in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, local police confirmed on Tuesday.

Initially, police had reported only injuries in the incident that was reported on Monday, and videos of the incident were quickly removed from social media.

However, authorities later clarified that the incident, which occurred at the Zhuhai Sports Centre, was a “serious and vicious attack.”

According to an AFP report, citing police, the 62-year-old driver, identified as Fan, drove a small SUV through the gates of the sports center, running down individuals who were exercising on the center’s internal roads.

When police arrived, they found Fan in his vehicle, attempting to harm himself with a knife. Officers stopped him and rushed him to the hospital for treatment.

Fan is currently in a coma after inflicting severe injuries to his neck and other parts of his body and is unable to undergo questioning, added the report, citing police.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged “all-out efforts” to treat the people injured and has “demanded punishing the perpetrator in accordance with the law”, the official Xinhua news agency said.

China’s largest airshow showcasing Beijing’s civil and military aerospace sector is being held in the same city.