5 injured in Sweden as rally car crashes into spectators

A folk racing car drove off the track and into the crowd during a race north of Stockholm on Saturday, injuring five people, Swedish News SVT reported.

The crash occurred on Saturday afternoon at Ticksta motor stadium. Five people were taken to hospital, one of them by helicopter.

"Two are lightly injured, while three have more serious injuries. The driver of the car is one of the lightly injured," Carina Skagerlind, press officer at Stockholm Police, told SVT.

According to SVT News, a witness saw two cars crashed into each other shortly after the start of the race. After the collision, one of the cars drove over the barrier and landed in the spectators.

The exact cause of the crash is still being investigated by authorities.

"We have so far investigated the incident as an accident, but we must of course look at how this has happened and whether it could become classified as a crime," Skagerlind said, and continued. "There is a lot of concern and questions on the site, we are securing evidence that may be needed. We will seize the car."

Folk racing is a popular Nordic form of rallycross racing which is open to entry-level drivers as young as 14 years of age. Folk racing is a full-contact sport and while collisions do happen, safety standards are strictly enforced and drivers are prohibited from deliberately ramming other vehicles.