A 34-year-old woman and her 5-year-old son were killed after their car was hit by a police patrol car at an intersection in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, on Sunday.

According to police, the accident occurred at an intersection at around 12:30 p.m. Fuji TV reported that the intersection has traffic lights. The 39-year-old police officer driving the patrol car was quoted as saying the light was green as he passed through the intersection and that he hit the car coming from his left.

The impact sent the other car onto its side and into a pole. The driver of the car, Asami Yura, and her son Kanta were taken to hospital where they were pronounced dead. A 3-year-old boy, believed to be the woman's younger son, suffered injuries but his condition is not life-threatening, police said.

The police officer was uninjured.

© Japan Today