BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese driver Guo Meiling, and her co-pilot Liao Min, were treated in hospital on Saturday night after being involved in an accident that left 13 spectators injured on the first day of the Rally Dakar 2016.

Authorities from the hospital of Santa Francisca Romana in Arrecifes, where the accident happened, told Xinhua on Sunday that the Chinese drivers were discharged with no severe injuries.

Furthermore, 10 of the 13 injured spectators were treated at the hospital, including a pregnant woman, while two are now being treated in the town of Pergamino.

Three of them are severely wounded, with a father and son having been transferred to receive specialist care at the Austral University Hospital in the city of Pilar.

The Chinese driver lost the control of her Mini Cooper at 6.6 kilometers into the 11km time trial. After leaving the track, the vehicle smashed into a group of spectators, in a section of the course with no barriers or protection.

The Rally Dakar is happening for its 38th edition and its eighth in South America, with 10 stages to be held in Argentina and three in Bolivia.