One child dead, 12 injured in van accident

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- A four-year-old girl died and 12 children were injured when the van carrying them and two adults plowed into several cars, slammed into a construction dumpster and overturned in south Philadelphia late Sunday.

The driver of the van fled from the crash scene on foot and police said they had not located him by early Monday.

Four children were ejected from the vehicle, said Capt. Ted Sideras of the Philadelphia Police department. Witnesses and rescue workers pulled the remaining nine children out of the van. The conditions of the children ranged from stable to critical, with the most seriously injured a seven-year-old boy suffering from head injuries. The children are all from Philadelphia.

The other adult, a 36-year-old woman, walked to an area hospital where she was in stable condition.

A dispatcher for the Philadelphia Fire Department told CNN that it was raining in the city when the accident occurred.

Witnesses living near the accident scene recounted the chaos after the accident.

"Children were actually flying from the vehicle in the middle of the street," witness Jim Massimino told local reporters. "It's the most horrible thing I've ever encountered."