SHANGHAI (AP) — The Latest on a vehicle crash in Shanghai (all times local):

12:30 a.m.

Shanghai police say a minivan crash downtown is believed to be an accident and not an attack and say the driver was smoking while transporting gas tanks through the heart of the Chinese financial hub.

Eighteen people were sent to hospitals for treatment after the Friday morning crash, with three reported to be seriously injured.

The city government said the van veered onto a sidewalk and burst into flames around 9 a.m. near People's Park.

Local media reported the vehicle was carrying six people and several tanks of gas.

Videos on social media showed injured people lying on the pavement next to a Starbucks cafe.

11:30 a.m.

A minivan has plowed into a busy pedestrian area in downtown Shanghai, hospitalizing 18 people.

Local media reports say the vehicle was carrying six people and several tanks of gas when it veered into a sidewalk near People's Park in central Shanghai. The cause is under investigation.

Videos on social media show people lying unconscious on the pavement next to a Starbucks cafe and firefighters trying to extinguish a blaze inside the van.