BEIJING, Sept 3, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - A public school bus ploughed into a crowd of children outside a school in eastern China on Tuesday leaving at least 10 dead or injured, state media reported, citing local authorities.

State news agency Xinhua said the pupils had been standing outside the entrance to a middle school in Shandong province's Tai'an city when the incident occurred at 7 am (2300 GMT).

"At present, more than 10 students have been killed or injured", Xinhua reported, without giving specific information.

Photos on social media showed adults kneeling over children in blood-soaked clothes lying in the road next to a hulking grey bus.

AFP was not immediately able to independently verify the authenticity of the photos, some of which later appeared to have been removed.

Many public schools in China reopened for the new academic year this week.

Deadly traffic accidents occur frequently in the country due to lax safety standards and widespread disorderly driving.

In July, police said a vehicle crashed into pedestrians in the central city of Changsha, killing eight people and injuring five.