Burning fuel hits crowd at Australian drag-racing event

Twelve people have been injured after a competition car sprayed burning fuel over fans at a drag-racing event in central Australia.

The car was doing burnouts at the Red CentreNATS competition in Alice Springs when it sent lit fuel into the crowd.

Footage of the incident on Sunday showed flames reaching spectators and people scrambling away.

Eleven of the 12 people treated were taken to hospital. One man, 47, suffered critical injuries.

He was flown to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with burns to about 20% of his body, the Royal Flying Doctor Service said.

Eight people, including the man's 19-year-old son, remained in a stable condition in hospital on Monday. Two patients had been released.

The incident took place during a burnout competition, a Red CentreNATS spokeswoman told the BBC.

Organisers shut down the event following the incident, which is being investigated by police.

"This is a distressing situation however all patients are receiving the care they need," Red CentreNATS said in a statement.

Last year, about 14,000 motoring enthusiasts attended the event billed as the "Ultimate Festival of Wheels".