Seven children were killed and five others were missing after a school bus carrying 25 of them fell into a canal, 20 km from Haryana's Sonepat on Tuesday.

The bus of Satkumba Vidya Mandir in village Kheri Gujjar fell into the Delhi canal when its driver tried to avoid a mule cart while was crossing a bridge, Senior Superintendent of Police Yogendra Nehra said.

The children, all between 10 and 14 years of age, belonged to Bali Qutabpur and other nearby villages, he added.

Eight children were taken to a local hospital where seven were declared dead on arrival. One child was admitted in a serious condition.

Five children are missing, the SSP said, adding that the remaining 12 were sent back to their villages after first aid, Nehra said.

Bus driver Sanjay Kumar, who was declared absconding, has been admitted to a hospital in Ganaur, an official spokesman said in Chandigarh.

He said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has ordered a probe into the accident and an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the family of those killed in the mishap.

The bodies of the victims have been sent to the civil hospital in Sonepat for postmortem.

Army divers have been pressed into service to rescue the children who had fallen in the canal and been swept away in its swift current.

Senior officials have reached the site and were monitoring the rescue operation. Help from the army and air force has also been sought by the district administration.

Six of the seven children killed were identified as Ankush (6) and Priyanka (8), Monica (5), Manisha (15), Vishal (10) and Jatinder (12).

Haryana Governor Dr A R Kidwai has expressed grief over the tragedy and offered his sympathies to the families of the deceased.