4 children die as school vehicle catches fire in India

At least four school children aged under six died in India's northern state of Punjab on Saturday when the vehicle they were traveling in suddenly caught fire, a local police officer told Xinhua over phone.

The accident occurred in the afternoon when 12 students of the Simran Public School in Punjab's Sangrur district were returning home from school.

"Four children died due to the fire and smoke, while eight were safely rescued from the burning vehicle. Following the sad incident, the law and order situation deteriorated in the area," said Balwant Singh from the local police station.