Tiananmen Square Crash That Killed 5 Might Have Been a Suicide Attack (VIDEO)

Oct 29, 2013 09:54 AM EDT | Matt Mercuro

Police are investigating a crash that killed five people and injured dozens this week, and they haven't ruled out that the incident was a suicide attack.

"It looks like a premeditated suicide attack," a government source said to Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A car drove into pedestrians and caught fire in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Oct. 28. At least 38 people were injured by the SUV when it veered inside a barrier separating it from a busy avenue.

The incident took place at the site of 1989 pro-democracy protests suppressed by the military, according to Reuters.

The vehicle burst into flames after crashing into a guardrail for one of the ancient stone bridges that lead to a gate.

Major party and government events are held near the adjacent Great Hall of the People, where a national women's congress was taking place at the time of the incident.

Of the 38 injured at the scene, three were tourists from the Philippines and one was from Japan.

"Our embassy is working to gather more details about this incident and to extend the necessary and appropriate assistance to the victims," said Raul Hernández, a spokesman at the Philippine department of foreign affairs.

The crash took place near the front of the main entrance of the Forbidden City, where a huge portrait of the founder of Communist China, Mao Zedong, hangs.

An official investigation is underway, according to Xinhua, the state news agency.

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