Ratlam (MP), Nov 9 At least eight students and a teacher were drowned to death when their school bus fell into Shipra river at Mahidpur near Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday.

The students of the Sarswati Shishu Mandir in Ratlam were returning from a trip to Ujjain when the accident took place.

The Deputy Inspector General of Ujjain, Varun Kapoor, feels that the accident may have occurred out of driver's fault but investigations are on.

"The bus was returning from Ujjain to Taal and it fell into Shipra river out of imbalance. Water level was up to 5-6 feet therefore eight children and a teacher drowned. The rest 26 children were saved with the help of rescue workers and locals," said Varun Kapoor.

"When the bus was heading towards the bridge, it lost its balance after one of the tyres got stuck in a ditch. I managed to get out of the window and called for help," said Sumer Singh, a teacher. (ANI)