China: 15 children killed in another bus crash

Fifteen primary school children were killed in eastern China Monday afternoon when their school bus drove into a ditch and overturned, CNN reported.

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Officials said eight others were injured in the tragedy, which occurred at 5.50pm local time, in Feng county, Jiangsu province.

One of the injured remains in a serious condition, on life support.

A micro-blog posting by the local public security bureau said the ditch had been filled with 60 centimeters of water, the BBC reported.

The post said:

“Water got into the bus and, because the pupils were pressing down on each other, some of them drowned. Others suffocated."

There were 29 children on board the bus when the accident happened. The driver suffered minor injuries, and has been detained by police, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The crash came just one day after the government issued strict road guidelines, following a series of deadly crashes involving children, the BBC reported.

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Under the draft guidelines, local governments, schools and bus drivers must follow safety regulations, including safety checks every six months.

Last month, 19 children died when an overcrowded school bus packed with 64 passengers hit a truck in the north-western Gansu (pictured).

However officials said the bus involved in Monday’s crash was carrying less than its capacity.