Five dead in China after car ploughs into pedestrians: Media

Five people have been killed and 13 others injured when a car ploughed into crowds of people at two busy pedestrian crossings in the city of Guangzhou and sped away from the scene of carnage, local media reported.

China’s state-owned Global Times media outlet said on Thursday that a 22-year-old was detained by police after the horrific incident on Wednesday in Guangdong province in southern China.

Several video clips of the reported crash, apparently captured by dash-cams in other vehicles, were shared on social media.

Video footage obtained by Reuters showed a dark-coloured sports utility vehicle being driven at high speed and crashing into pedestrians and driving off.

Those hit by the speeding car were left lying on the road.

Reuters was able to confirm the location of the videos by matching the structures visible in them. One online video was also reported to have shown the driver throwing fistfuls of cash out of the car.

The China Global Television Network (CGTN) also said that local authorities arrested the driver and were investigating the incident. No other details were provided.

The crash was the second shocking incident in two days involving a driver in China caught on camera.

On Tuesday, a sports car was seen driving through the lobby of an upscale hotel in Shanghai, with local media reporting it took place after a guest had a dispute with the management.

Footage filmed by a witness showed the white vehicle entering the hotel lobby, driving over fallen door frames before moving erratically and knocking over objects. No one was reported hurt in the incident.

A group of men attempted to surround the car, before it moved again and came to a stop in front of the lobby doors, according to Reuters, who verified that the building in the video was the Jinling Purple Mountain Hotel in Shanghai.

A 28-year-old man was arrested in relation to the incident.

A preliminary investigation revealed the driver was upset due to the loss of a laptop during a stay at the hotel, according to police officials cited by local media.