Seven people have been confirmed dead after a driver allegedly drove his car and plowed into roadside pedestrians in East China's Fuzhou city on Monday, local police said.

Police received a phone call at around 11:19 am saying a man left the scene in his Lexus after hitting pedestrians with the vehicle in what appeared to be an intentional act in Qingshi town, according to the public security bureau of the Fuzhou municipal government.

Seven people, including three children, were killed at the site and 12 others were injured.

The suspect, Lin Jianxin, told the police that he was upset after a morning court hearing on his divorce from his wife. Lin, 27, was originally from Changle, a subordinate town of Fuzhou city, Southeast Express, a Fujian province-based newspaper reported.

Lin appeared stable and didn't show any emotional breakdown after the hearing, court staff said.

Police managed to stop the car at around 11:30 am and subdued the driver.

Lin once threatened to ignite a gas explosion to inflict greater damage, according to CCTV.

The victims were mostly students from a nearby primary school and their families, who had come to pick them up for lunch break, according to the bureau.

The injured, taken to No. 2 People's Hospital of Minhou county, were all in a stable condition, according to the bureau.

Further investigation is underway.