Chinese authorities have removed wreaths, candles and even bottles of alcohol laid at the scene of the deadliest mass killing in the country in a decade, as the government scrambled to respond and censor the outrage online.
On Monday, a male driver angry at his divorce settlement rammed his car into a crowd at a sports centre in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, killing 35 people and injuring 43, but the government took almost a day to announce the death toll.
This prompted an outrage on Chinese social media, where posts complaining about the government's slow response and raising questions about the mental health of a nation shaken by a recent spate of similar killings, were being quickly removed.
Despite the efforts to clear the site in Zhuhai, which is near Macau, delivery drivers on motorbikes kept dropping off fresh flowers on Wednesday morning, even as authorities erected temporary barriers around the makeshift vigil area and deployed security personnel.
“The authorities hadn’t released any information - some colleagues mentioned it and I couldn’t believe it at first, but it was confirmed later,” said a 50-year-old man who identified himself as Zheng who brought flowers to the site.
“It’s just a spontaneous feeling I had. Even though I don’t know them personally, I had family members who passed away in the past, so I understand that feeling."
After initially allowing journalists to briefly speak to the people laying the flowers, a handful of security personnel told reporters not to talk to the people or to film specific messages on the bouquets.
Addressing media questions about the incident on Wednesday, China's foreign ministry said China was one of the safest countries in the world with a government that had and would always take measures to safeguard lives and social stability.
"As far as we know, there are no casualties that are foreign nationals in this case," ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news briefing, adding China would continue to protect the safety of foreigners.
The attack happened as Zhuhai captured China's attention with the People's Liberation Army's largest annual air show, where a new stealth jet fighter is on display for the first time.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV did not mention the attack in its midday news bulletin.
Instead, the program led with President Xi Jinping's departure for the APEC summit in Peru and devoted a portion of the airtime to the air show.
Other state media, such as China Daily's Chinese language website, also prominently displayed the news of Xi's coming visit to Peru.
Hundreds of rescue personnel were deployed to provide emergency treatment, and more than 300 healthcare workers from five hospitals worked around the clock to save lives, state media's Beijing Daily reported on Tuesday.
There was no indication the attack was related to the air show.
But it was the second such incident to occur during the Zhuhai event: in 2008, at least four people were killed and 20 injured when a man drove a truck into a crowded schoolyard during the air show.
Police said that attacker had been seeking revenge over a traffic dispute.
Xi, cited by CCTV on Tuesday, ordered all-out efforts to treat the injured and demanded severe punishment for the perpetrator.
Violent crime is rare in China due to tight security and strict gun laws.
However, a rise in reports of knife attacks in large cities has drawn public attention to safety in public spaces.
