Car runs a red light and kills three people, including two 12-year-old girls

This image taken from video by Taiwan’s EBC shows investigators on the scene of a fatal car crash in New Taipei City, Monday

A stream of people in Taiwan left flowers and bags of snacks yesterday near the intersection where a driver plowed through pedestrians the previous day, killing three people including two 12-year-old girls.

The crash, which left the 78-year-old driver in a coma, saddened many on this self-governing island of 23 million people off China’s east coast.

A video posted on X by Taiwan’s Central News Agency showed people praying and bowing their heads in front of rows of colorful flowers and bags of snacks. Taiwanese often place snacks as offerings, sometimes those that were the favorites of the deceased.

A small group of family members waved pieces of clothing — a small blouse and what appeared to be a T-shirt — in a ritual meant to help the souls of the deceased find their way home.

Lai Ching-te, who visited injured victims in the hospital on Monday night, said the government would work as quickly as possible to determine the cause of the accident and assess ways to prevent such accidents in the future.

Police said the driver sped through the intersection when the traffic lights were red in all directions, the Central News Agency reported. The accident happened in New Taipei, the sprawling area in northern Taiwan that surrounds Taipei, the capital.

The rapidly moving car sideswiped three scooters and a bicycle at the intersection and then hit schoolchildren and their guardians crossing the street late Monday afternoon, the news agency said. The vehicle kept going straight, hitting another person before slamming into a concrete divider when it reached a T-intersection at the end of the street.

An earlier video posted by the news agency showed debris strewn in the intersection and people giving CPR to two victims, one behind a red scooter lying on its side.

A 40-year-old woman died along with the two students from a nearby junior high school. Twelve other people were injured. They included seven students from the same school and a 5-year-old boy, who was slightly injured, according to statements from the New Taipei government and fire department.

Five people were seriously injured, including the driver. He tested negative for alcohol consumption, the Central News Agency said, citing police. The cause of the crash was under investigation. MDT/AP