COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A race automotive veered off the monitor throughout a contest in Sri Lanka on Sunday and rammed right into a crowd of spectators and race officers, killing seven individuals and injuring 20 others, officers stated.

Hundreds of spectators seemed on because the mishap passed off throughout a race within the city of Diyatalawa within the tea-growing central hills, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of the capital Colombo.

It wasn’t instantly clear what triggered the mishap.

One of many automobiles veered off the monitor and crashed into spectators and officers of the occasion, police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa stated. 4 officers had been among the many seven individuals killed and the 20 individuals damage had been being handled at a hospital. Three of the injured had been in vital situation, Thalduwa stated.

Police have launched an investigation into the accident. The race, which was the seventeenth out of 24 occasions scheduled, was suspended after the accident.

About 45,000 spectators had gathered on the race circuit at a Sri Lankan navy academy. The occasion was organized by the Sri Lankan military and Sri Lanka Vehicle Sports activities.