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Drunk driving kills 5, including a mom-to-be

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-01 23:21

NANJING: Local police have detained a drunk driver who lost control of his vehicle and caused an accident that killed five people, including a pregnant woman, in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing Tuesday evening.

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Hu Xiaoxiang, deputy chief of the municipal public security bureau, said Wednesday that the driver, surnamed Zhang and aged 43, drove the car while intoxicated.

Zhang had 381 mg of alcohol per deciliter of blood, well above the 80 mg legal limit.

Zhang's car crashed into a street lamp, then hit a watermelon stand at 8:20 p.m. Tuesday, before it hit nine passersby and six other vehicles.

Three people died at the scene and two died later. Four others were slightly injured, Hu added.

Hu said the Nanjing police have launched a 100-day campaign starting from Wednesday to crack down on drunk driving.

A Nanjing-based lawyer said the driver could face jail time if convicted.