Seven people have died and seven were injured on Thursday after a car drove into a crowd in Central China, local media reported.

Police shot dead the driver, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The man intentionally drove into the crowd, reports said.

Police described the man in his 40s as a "vengeful repeat offender" who had daggers in his car and intended to "cause serious damage."

The incident occured in Zaoyang City in Hubei Province.

The survivors were taken to hospital.

Several similar incidents have happened in China in recent years, including in September 2018 when a man drove into a crowded square in Southern China, killing 11 people.

ng,aw/rc (AFP, Reuters)