NEW YORK, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and six others injured when a vehicle ploughed into pedestrians in New York City's Chinatown on Monday evening.

The incident happened at around 6:45 p.m. local time (2345 GMT) at Canal Street and Forsyth Street, a busy junction of the Chinatown neighborhood in lower Manhattan, local police said.

One fatality was confirmed at the scene, while the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital with some said to be in critical condition.

Police said the driver, who is still unidentified, lost control of his van while doing parallel parking.

The exact cause of the incident remains unclear, with no further details given by authorities.

The Manhattan Chinatown is the oldest of nine neighborhoods in New York City with a high concentration of Chinese Americans. It's home to the largest ethnic Chinese population outside Asia, which exceeds 800,000.

The Chinese Consulate-General in New York is currently seeking information about whether the incident involved any Chinese nationals.