18 injured as burning van jumps curb in China; government rules out terrorism

— -- According to Shanghai police, 18 people have been hospitalized, including three who were severely injured, after a vehicle hit pedestrians on the sidewalk in front of a Starbucks in Shanghai's central Huangpu district on Friday morning.

The driver of the vehicle was included in the 18 people injured, police said.

Shanghai police said a preliminary investigation showed the 40-year-old man driving the van had no criminal record and was suspected of illegally transporting dangerous substances while smoking in the vehicle. They do not believe the crash was an act of terrorism.

The injuries to the 17 others are not considered life-threatening "for the time being," according to police.

The official People's Daily newspaper reported six people were in the vehicle and a witness told them it was on fire before it hit the curb.

Photos and videos on social media show the injured on the ground, including some pinned by the vehicle.

A Shanghai government spokesperson told ABC News the accident is still under investigation.

The accident was cleaned up immediately by Chinese authorities, with no trace of the earlier scene before the morning was over.