China bus accident kills 11 children

GlobalPost

Eleven children were killed after a kindergarten bus veered off a road and plunged into a pond in eastern China.

Three children died at the scene and eight others were pronounced dead at a hospital, according to CNN. Four children being treated for injuries are in stable condition. All the children on the bus were between the ages of four and six.

More from GlobalPost: Knife attack at Chinese school injures 22 children

China's official Xinhua News Agency said the accident happened Monday in Jiangxi province. Fifteen children and one teacher were on the bus when it went into the pond. Police have detained the bus's driver for questioning and are investigating the cause of the accident.

The Wall Street Journal reported the bus was said to be designed to hold seven passengers. Local police said the accident was caused by improper driving by the kindergarteners' 35-year-old principal. Xinhua named the principal as Zhou Chun'e and said the school the children attended has been running without a license for eight years.

Most of those who died were children of migrant workers living with their grandparents while their own parents worked in cities.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.