AKIPRESS.COM - Thirteen children have died after their school bus collided with a train in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, BBC reports.

The bus had been travelling across an unmanned railway crossing when the accident took place.

The incident comes weeks after 24 children died when their bus fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh state.

Road accidents are common in India, often due to poor driving or badly maintained roads and vehicles.

The latest incident took place in the Kushinagar region of Uttar Pradesh state. It is not yet known how many children were travelling in the bus.

The state government has ordered an investigation into the incident and announced compensation to the families of those killed in the accident.