A man has been sentenced to death in China for killing six children and injuring 20 others when he ploughed a car into a group of pupils outside a school.

Han Jihua, 29, was found guilty of deliberately driving his father's black Audi A6 into a group of 60 children and their teachers at a crossing in the city of Huludao in north-eastern Liaoning province on November 22, said Huludao Intermediate People's Court in a statement today.

Police said the man was 'depressed' about his martial and financial troubles and had wanted 'revenge on society' when he carried out the fatal attack.

Horrifying footage of the incident shows the group of students crossing a street in front of the No 2 Primary School in Jianchang county when the dark-coloured sedan (circled) swerves into the wrong lane and crashes into the line of children at about 12:18pm on November 22

Han Jihua, 29, was found guilty of deliberately driving his father's black Audi A6 into a group of 60 children at a crossing in the city of Huludao in north-eastern Liaoning province on November 22, said Huludao Intermediate People's Court in a statement today. Above, Han pictured in court today

Of the 20 that were injured, 18 were children, according to Liaoning Evening News. Earlier reports said that a teacher and a passer-by were also hurt.

Horrifying footage of the incident released by CCTV shows the group of students crossing a street in front of the No 2 Primary School in Jianchang county when a dark-coloured sedan swerves into the wrong lane and crashes into the line of children at about 12:18pm.

Other gut-wrenching footage showed at least two children lying unconscious and bleeding on the street. The screams and cries of children could be heard in the background, as onlookers milled around the scene.

A member of staff from the school told Beijing Youth Daily that the pupils had just finished their classes and were heading home when the attacked happened.

The group of children cross the road before the car appears and drives into them in Huludao

The car ploughs straight into the students before driving away from the scene. He was detained and arrested about half an hour later

The man initially fled the scene after the incident but was detained and arrested about half an hour later.

The court's statement also described Han as being 'narrow-minded' due to an unsatisfactory life. He committed the crime in order to 'vent his emotions' and 'retaliate against society.'

'Han Jihua's motives were despicable ... The crime was committed in an atrocious way and the scene of the crime was tragic and shocking. His criminal behavior not only violates the law, but also seriously jeopardises public safety and violates ethical principles,' it said.

'Although Han had confessed to his crimes, expressed remorse at the trial and had no criminal record, the consequences of crime was extremely serious... causing irreparable damage to the victims' families,' it said, adding that the court handed down the death penalty based on the nature of the crime and its social impact.

Han said he would not appeal the sentence.

The court's statement also described Han as being 'narrow-minded' due to an unsatisfactory life. He committed the crime in order to 'vent his emotions' and 'retaliate against society'. Above, Han Jihua pictured in court today

A photo released by CCTV shows Han Jihua being caught by police after fleeing the scene on November 22. Han was sentenced to death today by a Chinese court

The incident occurred outside the Number Two Primary School in Jianchang County, Huludao

Grisly car accidents are common in China, where transportation authorities have struggled to enforce safety regulations, which are often flouted or go unenforced.

According to authorities, 58,000 people were killed in traffic accidents across the country in 2015 alone.

Violations of traffic laws were blamed for nearly 90 per cent of accidents that caused deaths or injuries that year.

In December, a 54-year-old man was sentenced to death for killing 15 people and injuring 43 others when he ploughed his red Land Rover into a busy public square in the eastern city of Hengyang in Hunan province on September 12.

Police said the man had previously served time in prison for robbery, drug trafficking and arson and had wanted 'revenge on society' when he carried out the fatal plaza attack.

In October, at least 13 people died when a bus plunged off a bridge in Chongqing municipality, after the driver got into a fist fight with a passenger who had missed her bus stop.