UPDATE:

Officials say a crash in Alcester that killed two people and injured six others happened when the elderly driver accidentally stepped on the wrong pedal.

Tony Mangan with the Department of Public Safety said an 81-year-old woman was driving a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix into a driveway near the Alcester Care and Rehab Center when witnesses said she stepped on the gas instead of the brakes.

The car hit a group of people coming out of the center. Their names have not been released. They were taken to hospitals in Sioux Falls, Sioux City and Hawarden.

The investigation may continue over the next few day, Mangan said.

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FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS:

Authorities say accident reconstruction experts are now assisting with the investigation into a fatal crash outside a South Dakota nursing home.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol says two people were killed and six others were injured Monday when a vehicle slammed into a group of people outside the Alcester Care and Rehab Center.

Patrol Capt. Jason Husby said during a brief news conference that experts from Sioux Falls are helping in the investigation.

Husby says the investigation is just beginning, but that it appears the driver unintentionally struck the pedestrians. Husby called the incident "horrible," saying: "A lot of people are affected by this."

Husby and hospitals treating the victims declined to release information about their conditions. Husby says the driver is among the injured.

Alcester is a small town about 40 miles south of Sioux Falls.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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ORIGINAL STORY:

Officials say two people are dead after a car crashed into the Alcester Care and Rehab Center Monday morning.

The Highway Patrol said a vehicle hit a group of people standing outside the center around 9:30 a.m. They believe the accident was an unintentional act.

Neighbors told KSFY News that the residents were outside doing their morning exercises in the mild weather when the accident happened. The neighbors said they believe the driver of the car was an elderly woman.

Six other people were injured in the crash, including the driver. They were taken to various local hospitals and their conditions are unknown at this time.

The car was towed away around 12:30 p.m.

The Highway Patrol is asking the public to stay away from the area as the investigation continues.

Alcester residents said the center is a nursing home facility where many elderly residents live and many nurses are employed.

This is a developing story. Stay with KSFY News as more information becomes available.

The Highway Patrol originally said eight people were injured in the crash, but in an update around 1:15 p.m. confirmed that only six people were hurt.

Alcester crash update The SD Highway Patrol gives an update on Alcester crash, saying only six people were injured, not eight. http://www.ksfy.com/content/news/2-people-dead-8-injured-after-car-crashes-into-building-in-Alcester-436328093.html Posted by Dakota News Now on Monday, July 24, 2017

Alcester crash Two people have died and 8 others were injured after a vehicle crashed into the Alcester Care & Rehab Center Monday morning. http://www.ksfy.com/content/news/2-people-dead-8-injured-after-car-crashes-into-building-in-Alcester-436328093.html Posted by Dakota News Now on Monday, July 24, 2017