BEIJING State media says a sports-utility vehicle veered through a crowd and crashed into a stone bridge in front of the Forbidden City in central Beijing before catching fire. Three people in the car were killed.
The official Xinhua News Agency said several tourists and policemen also were injured in the accident in front the iconic Tiananmen Gate around noon on Monday.
The gate is one of the southern entrances to the former imperial palace and stands at the top of sprawling Tiananmen Square. The area around the square is one of China's most closely guarded and politically sensitive public venues. Many of China's leaders live and work nearby.
Photos from the scene posted to the Internet showed flames and thick smoke spewing from the vehicle.
Chinese police evacuated the square following the fire, the Reuters news agency quotes a witness and state media as saying.
Tiananmen Square was the scene of pro-democracy protests in 1989 that were violently put down by the government.
The official Xinhua News Agency said several tourists and policemen also were injured in the accident in front the iconic Tiananmen Gate around noon on Monday.
The gate is one of the southern entrances to the former imperial palace and stands at the top of sprawling Tiananmen Square. The area around the square is one of China's most closely guarded and politically sensitive public venues. Many of China's leaders live and work nearby.
Photos from the scene posted to the Internet showed flames and thick smoke spewing from the vehicle.
Chinese police evacuated the square following the fire, the Reuters news agency quotes a witness and state media as saying.
Tiananmen Square was the scene of pro-democracy protests in 1989 that were violently put down by the government.