5 students among 11 killed in school bus crash in China

A school bus ploughed into a crowd of people outside a middle school in China’s Shandong province on Tuesday (September 3), killing at least 11, including five students, state media reported.

Several others were injured, including one who is in critical 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 “lost control” of the vehicle, state media report, and 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 people 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 people appearing to be trapped under the vehicle.

This comes just days after students returned to school for the start of the new academic year.

(With inputs from BBC)