4 school kids die, 15 go missing as bus falls into canal

Four students were killed and 15 went missing when a school bus fell into a canal near here in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh today, police said.

The bus, carrying 45 Lower KG and Upper KG students of Sai Teja Public School and its own staff overturned and fell into the Godavari river canal near Ganti Pedapudi village. Thirty children were rescued by locals, they said.

The sources, however, said the total number of students in the bus could be over 50 and "we will have a clear picture only after collecting the details of the children of the school and students who had boarded the bus on the way".

Four bodies have been recovered so far and a search operation has been launched for the missing students, police said, adding some students were injured in the accident.

The children were returning home from the private school when the mishap took place at a place about 65km from Rajahmundry, the headquarters of East Godavari district.

Senior officials, including those from the police and revenue departments, along with parents of the students, reached the accident spot.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy directed District Collector Neethu Kumari Prasad to provide adequate medical facilities to the injured who were admitted to a nearby hospital, officials said.

The driver of the ill-fated bus was untraced, police said adding and a search was launched to locate him.

Authorities pressed into service divers to trace the missing students in the canal, police said.