12 Kindergarteners Die in Bus Fire in China

BEIJING, March 9 (Kyodo) -- A fire on a school bus in east China has left 12 kindergarteners dead and four injured, the official Xinhua News Agency said Wednesday.

A school bus carrying 21 children caught fire at 5:10 p.m. Tuesday while en route to children's homes in Linyi, Shandong Province.

Five of the children died on the spot and seven more were dead by Wednesday morning despite emergency treatment, Xinhua said.

Four children and a teacher who was also a passenger on the bus are being treated at hospital for injuries, Xinhua said.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is under way, the news agency said.