6 school kids killed as bus topples in north India

NEW DELHI, April 11 (Xinhua) -- At least six school students died and over a dozen were injured when the bus carrying them to the school overturned in India's northern state of Haryana on Thursday, confirmed a local cop to Xinhua over phone.

The mishap occurred in the state's Kanina area, minutes before the bus carrying around 40 students of the G.L. Public School could arrive.

Preliminary reports attributed the accident to the recklessness of the driver who was allegedly driving at a high speed.

A media report quoted an injured child as saying, "The bus driver appeared inebriated and was driving the bus at a very high speed."

"People in whole of Kanina area are in deep shock due to the death of innocent children. We have shut all shops in grief in the aftermath of the tragedy," said Manish Gera, a cloth merchant, when speaking to Xinhua over phone.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini expressed grief at the loss of human lives, posting on X, formerly Twitter: "I am pained due to the bus accident in Kanina area of Mahendragarh district. My sympathies are with the families who lost their children. Local administration is providing all possible help. I pray for a speedy recovery of the injured."