A three-wheeled automobile went out of control and drove into a crowd in northwest China's Gansu province Thursday, killing five people and injuring seven others, local traffic police said.

The accident took place at about 9:10 a.m., when local villager Liu Guijun drove the vehicle into the crowd on a road in Tan'ge township, a spokesman from the traffic department of Wushan county said.

Two people died instantly and another three died at the hospital, he said.

Liu does not have a driver's license, the spokesman said, adding that police are continuing to investigate the accident.