A Tesla store in Beijing File Photo: IC

A Tesla-related accident caused one death and one injury in Ruian, East China's Zhejiang Province on Friday. The car was seen running at a high speed before colliding with other vehicles, according to media reports.

At 1:55 pm on Friday, a driver surnamed Qian drove a Tesla car through Tangchuan north street section in Ruian, and the car collided with two vehicles in front of it, leading to the death of a passenger in Qian's car, Ruian local police said on Friday.

Qian is being treated in hospital and the accident is being investigated, said the police.

Based on videos that have gone viral online, a blue Tesla was parked next to a white car close to a massage shop on Tangchuan north street in Ruian, with its front smashed and debris littered around, the media reports said.

The videos also showed that some residents had brought hammers and other tools to help break the car windows and save the injured.

A local shop owner told Hongxing News on Friday that residents quickly came to help. "My nephew called the police. Myself and others helped to break the window with a hammer. The man in the driver's seat took a while to respond and was taken to hospital," said the shop owner, according to Hongxing News.

Some netizens have speculated that the accident might be connected to a failure of Tesla's brakes. In response, Tesla told Hongxing News that the company is deeply saddened by the accident and will fully cooperate with the investigation.

This is not the first Tesla-related accident. A Tesla related accident caused two deaths and three injuries in Chaozhou, South China's Guangdong Province in November 2022, according to media reports.