7 hospitalized after vehicle plows into group of children in Japan

TOKYO - Seven people including four nursery school-aged people were rushed to hospital after a minivan plowed into them in Hachioji city, western Japan, local police and first responders said Monday.

According to local police and firefighters, the children, who were aged 1 or 2 years old, sustained minor injure in the incident.

The extent of the injuries of the other three, believed to be a nursery school teacher and the male driver of the minivan, were not immediately known, police and firefighters said.

The incident occurred at around 10:20 am while the children, close to a nursery school, were walking on a pedestrian crossing, according to local police accounts.

Local police and firefighters said an investigation into the incident, which occurred 3.5 kilometers north of JR Hachioji Station, is ongoing.