BEIJING — Two individuals have been executed in China following their involvement in violent attacks that resulted in numerous fatalities last November, according to reports from state media on Monday. This has sparked alarm regarding an increase in what are referred to as “revenge on society crimes.”

Fan Weiqu, aged 62, was put to death for driving his vehicle into a crowd outside a sports complex in Zhuhai, located in southern China, leading to the deaths of at least 35 people. This incident is noted as the most lethal attack in the country in over a decade, as indicated by authorities. Reports reveal that Fan was reportedly distressed over his divorce proceedings.

In a separate incident in November, 21-year-old Xu Jiajin launched a stabbing spree at his vocational institution in Wuxi, in the eastern part of the country, killing eight and wounding 17 others. Authorities stated that Xu had been struggling academically and was unhappy with his internship compensation, which contributed to his feelings of frustration. Like Fan, Xu was executed on the same day, as confirmed by the state broadcaster CCTV.

The tragic events prompted a response from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who called upon local administrations to implement measures aimed at preventing incidents labeled as “revenge on society crimes.”

The sentences for these two men were handed down by the intermediate people’s courts in Zhuhai and Wuxi in December, and both sentences received ratification from the Supreme People’s Court, per state media reports.

China is known for carrying out more executions annually than any other nation in the world combined, though the exact figures remain undisclosed due to their classification as state secrets. While execution by gunshot has been the traditional method, lethal injections have increasingly been utilized in recent years.