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Police detain driver in fatal hit-and-run case in China's Sichuan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-16 16:15

CHENGDU-- Police have detained a man who officials say was involved in a hit-and-run incident that left five people dead and 18 injured on Sunday in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

Guo Hui, a farmer from Xuanhan County, Dazhou City, was driving a farm vehicle loaded with bricks when the incident took place. The second-hand vehicle, which Guo bought last month, went out of control and ran into crowds in a marketplace. The driver escaped.

Police apprehended Guo in an adjacent county on Monday morning and have questioned him, the county government said on Tuesday.

A source with the investigation team, comprised of production safety supervisors and officials with the Dazhou city government, said earlier that the accident might have been caused by a brake failure.

All the injured people were in stable condition.

The county government has allocated 100,000 yuan ($14,604) to the families of the victims.