At least 15 students were killed and?eight others injured after a primary school bus overturned and fell into a ditch Monday afternoon in east China's Jiangsu Province, according to Xinhua report.

A?primary school bus overturned and fell into a ditch Monday afternoon in east China's Jiangsu Province, which had 47 students on board. At least 15 students were killed and eight others injured.[Photo/Chinanews.com]

The accident happened at about 5:40 p.m.,? in Shouxian township in Fengxian county in the city of Xuzhou when the bus was trying to avoid a pedicab, according to Fengxian county government.

The bus belongs to a primary school in Shouxian township. The bus, which has a capacity load of 52, had 47 students on board, when it left school.

When the bus got nearby Zhanghoutun village it still had 29 students on board. The exact cause of the accident is under investigation.

Officials from local educational, public security and health departments have rushed to the scene.

The accident happened a day after the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council made public draft regulations on school bus safety management to solicit public opinions.

On Nov. 16, 21 people, including 19 preschoolers and two adults, died, and 43 others were injured when a nine-seat school bus illegally carrying 64 people collided head-on with a coal truck in Gansu province.

Several days after the accident, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called on the relevant government departments to "rapidly" create safety regulations and standards for the country's school buses while further improving the design, production and distribution of the vehicles.

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