Photo taken on Feb. 2, 2018 shows a fence in front of a coffee shop damaged by the minivan in Huangpu District of east China's Shanghai. Eighteen people were injured, three seriously, after a minivan crashed into pedestrians in downtown Shanghai on Friday morning, local authorities said. Witnesses said the vehicle caught fire before crashing into a fence in front of a coffee shop. The minivan driver, passengers and passers-by were among the injured. The cause of the incident is being investigated. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

SHANGHAI, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen people were injured, three seriously, after a minivan crashed into pedestrians in downtown Shanghai on Friday morning, local authorities said.

The incident happened around 9 a.m. near the People's Park in Huangpu District, according to the official account of the municipality on social networking site Weibo.

Witnesses said the vehicle caught fire before crashing into a fence in front of a coffee shop.

An initial investigation found the driver, surnamed Chen, 40, had smoked in the vehicle, which led to the fire. He is suspected of illegally transporting dangerous goods, Shanghai police said.

Chen, a native of Jiangxi Province in east China, works for a metal product company in Shanghai, according to police.

He and the 17 injured passers-by are being treated in hospitals, and their injuries are not life threatening.

Further investigation is under way.