Vehicle hits pedestrians near primary school in Beijing

CNA

2 days ago

MIYUN, China: A vehicle crashed into pedestrians in what police described as an "accident" near a primary school in Beijing on Thursday (Jun 26), with footage shared online showing young people lying seriously injured in the street.
Videos geolocated by AFP to an intersection in Miyun district in the northeast of the capital showed a grey SUV wedged against a tree as several motionless people were seen on the road.
In one clip, a bloodied young person was being given first aid by someone in white overalls, while in others, items of clothing were scattered around.
Chinese authorities said the casualties were taken to hospital, but did not give details on the number or condition of the injured.
"On Jun 26, 2025, at around 1pm, a traffic accident occurred near the intersection of Yucai Road and Dongmen Street in Miyun district," police said in a statement.
No. 1 Primary School Miyun Beijing, where children aged six to 12 attend classes, is located at the traffic junction.
A 35-year-old man surnamed Han "collided" with people "due to an improper operation", the statement said, adding that those injured were taken to hospital.
"The accident is under further investigation," the statement added, without giving the number of injured.
An AFP team on Thursday evening saw about 30 onlookers standing behind yellow and black concrete police barriers.
A pickup truck appeared to be used to remove the remnants of the tree into which the vehicle had crashed.
Shortly after arriving, AFP journalists were told by police to leave the scene.
A 19-year-old resident who gave his name as Cheng said he went to the intersection after hearing about the crash from his parents.
"When I went down, the victims had already been taken away and the car was gone," he said, adding he saw many people and emergency vehicles in the area at about 4pm.
STRING OF PUBLIC VIOLENCE INCIDENTS
China has seen a string of mass casualty incidents — from stabbings to vehicle attacks — challenging its reputation for strong public security.
Last year, a man who drove his car into a crowd of mostly school children in central China was handed a suspended death sentence with a two-year reprieve.
In November 2024, an attacker named as Huang Wen repeatedly rammed his car into a crowd outside a primary school in Hunan province.
When the vehicle malfunctioned and stopped, Huang got out and attacked bystanders with a weapon before being apprehended.
Thirty people, including 18 pupils, sustained minor injuries.
Some analysts have linked such incidents to growing anger and desperation amid China's slowing economy and a sense of increasing societal stratification.
In the same month, a man killed 35 people and wounded more than 40 when he rammed his car into a crowd in the southern city of Zhuhai — the country's deadliest attack in a decade.