Punjab: Eight children were safely taken out by people working in nearby fields.

Four children were today burnt alive in Punjab's Sangrur district when their school van caught fire. 12 children were in the vehicle when the incident took place, eight were rescued, police said. The children were returning from school. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered a magisterial probe into the accident.

"Very sad to learn of the news from Sangrur, where we lost 4 children because their school van caught fire. Injured have been rushed to the hospital. DC & SSP Sangrur are on the spot and I have ordered a magisterial enquiry. Guilty will be strictly punished," he tweeted.

Very sad to learn of the news from Sangrur, where we lost 4 children because their school van caught fire. Injured have been rushed to the hospital. DC & SSP Sangrur are on the spot & I have ordered a magisterial enquiry. Guilty will be strictly punished. — Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 15, 2020

The accident took place on the Longowal-Sidsamachar road, news agency PTI quoted the police as saying.

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

The van driver tried to open the doors of the bus after it caught fire but failed, police said.

With inputs from PTI