21 school children killed in Nigeria road accident

At least 21 school children were killed and more injured following a road accident involving a fully-loaded school bus in Nigeria's southeastern state of Enugu, said an official on Thursday, reported Xinhua.

The accident occurred on Wednesday on the old Enugu-Okigwe road in the southern state, said Ogbonnaya Kalu, a commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Enugu.

Kalu told Xinhua that the school children were on their way from school when a truck lost control and rammed into their bus.

A total of 64 passengers, including two teachers, were on the bus at the time of the incident, the FRSC official said.

Other injured passengers are being treated in a nearby hospital, he added.

Witnesses said the driver of the truck fled the scene immediately after the incident.

Local police said an investigation has been launched into the incident.