Four children killed after car crashes through Illinois building, say police

Four children, between the ages of four and 18, were killed and several others injured when a car barreled through a building that housed an after-school camp program on Monday afternoon in a town outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said.

Officers responded around 3.20pm to calls in Chatham about a vehicle hitting three people outside the building used by the YNOT Outdoors Summare and After School Camp, ramming through the building and then hitting one more person before exiting the other side, Chatham police department deputy chief Scott Tarter said.

Several other people were hurt and taken to hospitals, police said.

The driver, who was uninjured, was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, Tarter said.

“I am horrified and deeply saddened by the deaths of children and numerous injuries in Chatham this afternoon,” Illinois governor JB Pritzker said in a statement. “My heart is heavy for these families and the unimaginable grief they’re experiencing – something that no parent should ever have to endure.”

Pritzker said his office was continuing to monitor the situation and would lend support if needed.

Chatham police called the accident a “terrible tragedy”.

“If you believe in the power of prayer, please take a moment to pray right now for the entire Chatham community,” they said in a statement.

The website for YNOT Outdoors advertises the camp as a way for parents to place their kids in a “safe, fun, active and stimulating summer environment”.

It was not immediately known what led up to the crash or whether it was intentional.

Chatham is a small town of about 15,000 people just outside Springfield, Illinois.

The deaths in Illinois happened two days after 11 people were killed in Vancouver when a car plowed through a crowded street during a Filipino heritage festival – one of the most recent examples of people driving vehicles into groups of people across the globe.