Van on fire hits sidewalk crowd

Eighteen people were injured after a van on fire lost control and crashed near a public park in downtown Shanghai on Friday morning, police said.

The accident took place about 9 am around People's Park after a fire started in the van as it was driving along Nanjing West Road.

The driver of the van, a 40-year-old man surnamed Chen, was suspected of illegally transporting "dangerous materials" and smoking while driving, which caused the van to catch fire, according to police. They found a cigarette butt in the third row of the vehicle, where they believed the fire began, as well as a cylinder, six liquid gas tanks and seven gasoline bottles.