A school bus ploughed into a crowd of persons and killed at least 11, including five students, in China’s Shandong province, state media report.
Several others were injured, including one who is in bad condition.
The bus appears to have rammed into the students and parents as they were standing outside the gates of a school in Tai’an city.
The driver was taken into custody as police investigate the cause of the incident. It is unclear if the incident was intentional.
“So far, a total of 11 persons have died (including six parents and five students),” Chinese state media confirmed, after the bus struck a group of parents and children on the side of the road.
Twelve others are in stable condition.
Images and videos of the incident are being shared on social media, showing individuals appearing to be stuck under the vehicle.
This comes just days after students returned to school for the start of the new academic year.
Traffic accidents are a frequent occurrence in China. In July this year, police said a vehicle wrecked into a group of pedestrians in the central city of Changsha, and killed eight persons and injured several others.