8 killed as van carrying kids plunges into pond

Eight people were killed on Tuesday after a vehicle plunged into a pond in Pengze county, Jiujiang city, in East China's Jiangxi province, local police said on Wednesday.

According to a statement from the Pengze county public security bureau, the single-vehicle accident occurred at about 4 pm on a rural road in Xiangshui village, Dingshan town.

Police, firefighters and medical personnel rushed to the scene after receiving a report and carried out rescue operations.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle, driven by a 49-year-old woman surnamed Luo from Pengze, veered off the road and fell into a pond beside the roadway. All eight people on board, including Luo, were killed, police said.

Quoting a local resident surnamed Tao, Shanghai-based media outlet Jiemian News reported that Luo was the head of a privately run kindergarten in Dingshan town, and onboard the vehicle were six children and another driver at the time of the accident.

Further investigation into the cause of the accident and follow-up arrangements are underway.