HAIKOU - Three preschool-aged children died after being hit by a car in the countryside of South China's Hainan province on Tuesday morning, local authorities said.

The accident took place at about 6:50 am at a road crossing near a village in Hou'an township in the city of Wanning when the car hit one girl and two boys, a municipal government spokesman said.

The two boys died instantly and the girl later died in hospital, he said.

The car was registered in neighboring Guangdong province, and the driver was driving without a license, he said.

The driver is being questioned by police, he added.