TOKYO (AP) — A vehicle struck four children riding bicycles on a street in central Japan on Monday, killing one and injuring the others, one seriously. The 78-year-old driver was arrested, officials said.
The crash occurred in the city of Hamamatsu. Officials said the two other children suffered no life-threatening injuries.
The Hamamatsu fire department said the children were elementary schoolgirls, aged under 10.
Police arrested the driver of a white mini truck, a farmer, for alleged negligence. Television footage showed the bicycles, with one crushed and mangled near the truck that apparently barreled into pedestrian space on the one-lane street and hit the children from behind.
The driver admitted to hitting and injuring the children but did not remember how it happened, according to the police.
have been a concern in Japan. The government in recent years has stepped up a safety awareness campaign.
