BEIJING - Two students and a pedestrian died and 21 others, including 20 students, were injured early Thursday morning when a minivan dashed into them in east Beijing, a local publicity official said.

The accident happened at about 6:40 am in the town of Machangying in Beijing's suburb Pinggu district, the official said.

The students were heading for the Machangying Central Primary School when the accident occurred, according to the official.

All the injured were rushed to two nearby hospitals, the official said.

The minivan driver has been controlled by the police and an investigation into the accident is under way.