Four children die as school van catches fire in Punjab

Four children were burnt alive when a minivan of a private school carrying students caught fire in Punjab's Sangrur district on Saturday, police said.

The accident took place on the Longowal-Sidsamachar road, they said, adding 12 children were in the van at that time.

Eight children were safely taken out by people working in nearby fields, police said.

However, four children in the age group of 10 to 12 years were charred to death, they added.

The children were returning home from school, police said.