A man arrested for driving an SUV into a crowd in Hengdong county, Hunan province, on Wednesday night and then attacking people with a shovel and dagger has a criminal record and has been jailed several times for drug dealing, affray and intentional injury, police said on Wednesday.

They said his desire for revenge on society motivated his attack on the crowd gathered in a local square. The attack by the 54-year-old driver, surnamed Yang, caused heavy casualties, they said, with 11 people killed and 44 still in hospital.

The attack took place at around 7:35 pm. Three of the injured, in critical condition, were rushed to hospital. Yang was captured at the scene and taken into custody.

Local officials have set up special teams for medical aid, post-accident arrangements and case investigation, and are making all efforts to speed up the investigation, treat the injured and take care of their families.

Hunan Governor Xu Dazhe and Vice-Governor Xu Xianhui arrived at the scene to direct aid work and visit the injured.

The local health commission has dispatched groups of medical experts to Hengdong county and drawn up treatment plans for each hospitalized victim.

Many members of the public have volunteered to assist in aid work and the local blood center has called for more blood donors to come forward.