Unmanned vehicle strikes kindergarten students in Tokamachi, Japan

An unmanned vehicle struck a group of kindergarten students in Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture, on the morning of September 18. The incident occurred around 10:00 AM when a small manual transmission vehicle (Kei-car), parked in a garage by a man in his 80s, suddenly moved forward approximately 6 meters.

The vehicle crossed the road and collided with a group of 16 children and three teachers from Atago Kindergarten who were walking along the edge of the road toward Tokamachi Station. Because the area lacks sidewalks, the group was walking near the roadway when the collision occurred.

Five children, consisting of three boys and two girls, were transported to a local hospital for medical attention. All five children sustained only minor injuries, such as scrapes on their limbs, and none are in life-threatening condition. Local police are investigating the cause of the sudden movement, specifically focusing on whether the parking brake was properly engaged.