This incident follows a series of recent killings or attacks in China by people driving vehicles or wielding knives.
Students were arriving for class around 8 a.m. at Yong’an School in the city of Changde when a small white SUV plowed into a crowd of children and adults, according to state media. Few details have been released, reflecting China’s knee-jerk tendency to suppress information about major crimes, protests and accidents that could erode public confidence in the ruling Communist Party’s self-proclaimed ability to maintain social order .
Several adults were also injured, the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that the driver was restrained by relatives and security officers and some of the injured were immediately sent to hospital.
Police in Dingcheng district, where the school is located, issued a statement saying no one was in danger of life and identifying the driver as a 39-year-old man surnamed Huang, who was in custody. The statement said the incident was under investigation, but gave no information on the cause of the accident or other details.
Images posted on Chinese social media showed the injured lying on the road, while terrified students ran into the school after entering the gate.
Comments on Chinese websites reflect anger and frustration over recurring incidents of violence against citizens, committed by people expressing anger at society.
Although China has much lower rates of violence than many other countries – private gun ownership is illegal there – stabbings and the use of homemade explosives still occur.
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