Two people have been killed during a test drive after an electric car fell from the third floor of an office building in Shanghai.
The Chinese electric carmaker Nio said one member of staff and a person from a partner company died in the crash at its headquarters on Wednesday around 5:20 pm local time.
They lost control of the car in the parking area before the car smashed the windows and fell from the building with both victims inside the vehicle.
Nio confirmed the accident on Thursday evening and said they have begun an investigation alongside government officials.
The firm posted an initial statement on China’s Twitter-like service Weibo, which was deleted just minutes after it was posted. The company then released a revised statement similar to the first one.
“Our company has collaborated with public security department to launch the investigation and analysis of the cause of the accident. Based on the analysis of the situation at the scene, we can initially confirm that this was an accident (not caused by the vehicle),” the company said.
“We feel very sad about this accident and would like to express our deepest condolences to our colleague and partner employee who lost their lives. A team has been set up to help the families,” it added.
Videos circulating on social media show medical workers trying to rescue the passengers in the car after the crash, in what appears to be an ET5 sedan.
The car manufacturer has confirmed it has set up a special team to help the families of the victims with the aftermath.
Last year, a man was killed in a Nio ES8 while using the autopilot function, a preliminary technology to autonomous driving.
