Thiruvananthapuram : At least three children died after a school van carrying around 25 students plunged into a canal near here Monday evening, police said.

The children, from the Jyothi Nilayam School on the city’s outskirts, were returning home after school.

Eyewitnesses said the van skidded off the road while trying to avoid a dog which came in its path.

“The tragedy would have been greater had a country boat which was present there not been on the spot. The bus fell on top of the boat and because of that, some children managed to come out. Many kids were rescued by workers on the boat,” said Muneer, a local.

Three children — Aromal, Ashwin and a girl Kaniha — died in the accident, while 16 students are hospitalised, police said. Their condition is out of danger.

All the students were aged below 12 years, said Nedumangad constituency legislator Palode Ravi.

“The van has been pulled out of the canal,” he added.

He said that locals jumped into the canal and rescued many children. Police and fire brigade teams were conducting rescue operations, assisted by the Central Reserve Police Force. A team of naval divers from Kochi have also reached the spot.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who reached the accident site, said all arrangements will be made for the injured.