Three dead after car ploughs into Tiananmen Square bridge in Beijing

Originally published on October 28, 2013

Three people were killed and at least 11 others were injured on Monday when an SUV crashed into a bridge railing and caught fire in Beijing's Tiananmen Square around noon.

Reuters reports "Police said on their official microblog that the car veered off the road at the north of the square, crossed the barriers and caught fire, injuring 'many' tourists and police.

"A Reuters witness said he saw fire engines, an ambulance and numerous police cars heading in the direction of the fire, which sent a plume of black smoke into the sky.

"The main road through the square was briefly closed. Police also evacuated the square, a popular tourist attraction.

"The car crashed close to the main entrance of the Forbidden City, where a huge portrait of the founder of Communist China, Mao Zedong, overlooks the square.

"A foreign tourist who was on the square and asked not to be identified said she heard an explosion followed by a fire.

"Tiananmen Square is always under heavy security due to its proximity to the Zhongnanhai compound of the central leadership and the Great Hall of the People, where the country's largely rubber stamp parliament meets."

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