Society

3 dead after bizarre accident in downtown street

By Qiu Quanlin (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-21 08:28

GUANGZHOU - The city's police are investigating a serious car accident here on Thursday, in which three people were killed and seven injured.

A driver, surnamed Shi, drove a sedan car into buildings and passersby in Jingxi Street in the Xi'niujiao community in downtown Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong province, at about noon on Thursday.

A victim's body is carried into a rescue vehicle after a sedan car (the silver one on the right) ran into pedestrians and curbside stores in Jingxi Street in the Xi'niujiao community in downtown Guangzhou on Thursday. Three people were killed in the incident. [Provided to China Daily]

Shi was later taken into custody, according to Guangzhou public security bureau.

The reasons behind the driver's wild behavior were still unknown by Friday night.

"It was so terrible," said Ma Liang, who was walking home along the street when the accident happened. "I am thankful I was not killed."

The car made a fast turn at a crossing on the street and ran into a watermelon vendor, Ma told the Southern Metropolis Daily.

"It was like it was swerving. It was so fast. A lot of watermelons fell everywhere and the car almost hit me. I kept hearing crashing noises."

The three people killed in the accident included two senior residents and a 32-year-old fast-food restaurant boss from Shaoguan city, Guangdong, who was confirmed dead after being taken to a nearby hospital.

The injured were all in a stable condition, with four having already left the hospital, sources with the traffic police authority said.

It is believed the car belonged to a woman who ran a community health service station in Xi'niujiao, villagers said.

Some residents and store owners in the street said the driver, a middle-aged man, had been quarreling with the car owner the day before the accident.

"We don't know much about the quarrel. They may have a close relationship. But the driver looked very calm when he was taken away by the police," a resident surnamed Qin said.

About 15 days before this latest crash, Guangzhou saw another deadly car accident, in which a drunken driver ran away after his vehicle killed one person and wounded another in Yile Road in downtown Haizhu district.

The driver, surnamed Yang, from Puning county, confessed to his crime the following day and admitted he had been drunk before the accident, which happened at about 2 am on May 7.

Following the two deadly accidents, the local traffic police authorities in Guangzhou again warned drivers to attach more importance to road safety.