At least 25 people, many of them children, have been killed after a speeding bus plunged into a canal in southern India.

Officials say the driver lost control of the vehicle on Saturday in Mandya district - with specialist divers rushed to the scene as a rescue operation gets under way.

Reports suggest that many of those who died were children returning from school.

There are fears the victims were unable to escape from the bus because it had fallen on its side - trapping the doors on the floor of the canal.

Police say they cannot be certain how many people were on the bus, amid fears the number of dead may rise.


TV footage showed locals using ropes to reach the submerged bus and pull out bodies.

About 150,000 people die every year on India's roads, often because of reckless driving, badly maintained roads and vehicles overcrowded with passengers.

Fatal bus accidents are common in the country - and in July, 48 people were killed when a bus crashed into a gorge in Uttarakhand state.