TAIPEI, Taiwan — Numerous children were injured by a vehicle outside an elementary school in central China's Hunan province on Tuesday, reports said. Hours after the incident, the casualty count was unclear and authorities had yet to clarify if it was an accident or a deliberate attack.
The incident follows a series of recent killings or attacks in China by people in vehicles or wielding knives.
Students were arriving for classes around 8 a.m. at Yong'an Elementary School in the city of Changde when a small white SUV drove into a crowd of children and adults, according to state media. Few details were released, reflecting China's reflexive inclination to suppress news about crime, protests and major accidents that could erode public confidence in the ruling Communist Party's self-declared ability to maintain social order.
Several adults were also injured, the official Xinhua News Agency said, adding that the driver was subdued by parents and security guards and some of the injured were immediately sent to the hospital.
Police in the city's Dingcheng district, where the school is located, issued a statement saying no one had life-threatening injuries and identifying the driver as a 39-year-old man surnamed Huang, who was under detention. It said the incident was under investigation but gave no word on the cause or other details.
Footage posted on Chinese social media showed the injured lying on the road while terrified students ran past the gate and inside the schoolhouse.
Comments on Chinese internet sites reflected anger and frustration with recurring incidents of violence against citizens by those venting anger at society.
While China has much lower rates of violence than many countries — personal gun ownership there is illegal — knifings and the use of homemade explosives still occur.
