7 school students, driver killed after their van collides head on with bus

Seven school children were killed in a road accident in Tamil Nadu's Pudukottai district as the private open mini-van they were travelling in collided head on with a bus. Four other children were injured and are in hospital; two of them are said to be in critical condition.The driver of the vehicle died on the spot. Police say the children, all students of a government school at Valathirakottai, took a lift to the school on the private vehicle that passed by. The accident took place around half a kilometre before their campus. Police suspect negligent and rash driving by the bus could have led to the tragedy.Soon after the incident, the locals blocked roads, saying the students had taken a lift on the van supplying milk as government buses were not stopping at villages.