The government statement called the attack a “malicious case of intentional driving” and said a man had been taken into custody. An investigation has begun, the statement said, but there was no mention of terrorism as a possible motive.

The injured were taken to hospitals; at least three were in serious condition.

Videos of the incident were posted to social media and widely shared, depicting scenes of carnage and chaos in the square, which was crowded for an event. Several clips from national news networks showed the wounded and dead lying in the square, blood near their crumpled bodies. People ran to their aid, screaming and crying as they frantically sought to help.

In another clip, a crowd wrestles a man to the ground near a red Land Rover, its front end and bumper severely damaged, its windscreen smashed. The vehicle’s hazard lights are blinking.

One video, taken from above the square, showed dozens of people running from the area, screaming.

People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, said the suspect was a 54-year-old local man, but it did not provide his full name.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Megan Specia © 2018 The New York Times