Four dead, including children, after vehicle crashes into US child centre

Four people aged 4 to 18 were killed when a vehicle ploughed into a building housing an after-school camp in the US state of Illinois, police said, adding they were investigating the crash.

Several others were injured and transported to hospital, Illinois State Police said in a statement, while the driver of the vehicle was uninjured and taken to hospital for evaluation.

“At this time, we can confirm four fatalities believed to be between the ages of 4-18 years. Three individuals were struck outside the building and one inside,” the statement read.

“Several additional individuals have been transferred to local area hospitals by ambulance and one by a life flight helicopter.”

Police responded to the crash in Chatham, a small town around 16km south of state capital Springfield, at around 3.20pm on Monday.