AKIPRESS.COM - A bus in northern Colombia has caught fire, killing at least 30 people, most of them believed to be children under 14, Reuters reported.

They were returning from an event at an evangelical Christian church near the city of Fundacion.

It is not known why the fire started, but local media said the bus may have been used for smuggling petrol.

A local police spokesman, Colonel Adan Leon, said 18 people had been found alive at the scene of the accident.

But he warned that the number of deaths could rise.