A school bus plowed into a crowd, killing at least 11 people, including five students, in China’s Shandong province, state media reported.
Several others were injured, one of whom is in critical condition.
The bus appears to have hit students and parents as they stood outside the gate of a school in the city of Tai’an.
The driver “lost control” of the vehicle, state media reported, and has been detained while police investigate the cause of the incident. It is unclear whether the incident was intentional.
“So far, a total of 11 people have died (including six parents and five students),” Chinese state media confirmed, after the bus crashed into a group of parents and children on the roadside.
Twelve others are in stable condition.
Images and videos of the incident are being shared on social media, showing several people appearing to be trapped under the vehicle.
The incident happened just days after students returned to school to start the new school year.
Deadly traffic accidents are common in China. In July this year, police said a car plowed into a group of pedestrians in the central city of Changsha, killing eight people and injuring several others.
