At least 25 people, many of them schoolchildren, were killed when a speeding bus fell into a canal in southern India on Saturday, an official and media reports said.

The accident occurred in Mandya district as the driver lost control of the vehicle while going at a high speed, said G. Parameshwaran, the Karnataka state deputy chief minister.

Parameshwaran said a rescue operation was underway, with police rushing divers to the spot. The area is 105 kilometres southwest of Bangalore, the state capital.

The Press Trust of India news agency reported that many of the dead were children who were returning from school.