Nine people have died and 46 others were injured when a car ploughed into a crowded square in southern China.

The car drove into the square in Mishui town, part of Hengyang city in Hunan province, on Wednesday evening with the driver now in custody.

Video images on state media show several bodies on the ground.

Initially the government said three people died, but raised the death toll to nine in a statement late on Wednesday.

The Beijing Youth Daily, which runs a ruling Communist Party microblog account said police were investigating the crash.

Reports indicate that a 54-year-old man was arrested soon after the incident, although there’s been no indication of the cause of the crash.