A car crashed into a group of schoolchildren who were crossing a street in front of an elementary school in northeast China on Thursday, killing five people in the process and injuring another 18, state media said.
Police have taken the driver into custody and are investigating what led to the incident in Huludao, Liaoning province, the official CCTV broadcaster said on its Weibo social media account.
Unverified footage circulating on media shows a car veering onto the wrong side of the road and ploughing through the line of pupils, the impact from the crash throwing bodies across the road. Other horrific footage showed at least two small children lying unconscious and bleeding on the street.
Victims of the crash are seeking medical treatment, according to CCTV. The incident happened around noon.
Bad car accidents are not uncommon in China and transportation authorities have struggled to enforce safety regulations.
Early this month in a separate incident, 13 people died after a bus plunged off a bridge in Chongqing province, this was after the driver got into a fight with a passenger.
Five dead, 18 hurt as car rams into children in China https://t.co/VlpY602tgM pic.twitter.com/HjfV5KGJZR
— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) November 22, 2018
