NEW DELHI, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- At least 18 children have been killed in the collapse of a school building caused by heavy monsoon rains in northern India, authorities said.
The collapse occurred in the village of Sumgarh in Uttarakhand state around 10 a.m. Wednesday, the BBC reported.
Six children were rescued from the wreckage, but many are still trapped under the debris, an official said.
"We have brought out the bodies of 18 children and a search is on for more," Piyush Rautela, head of Uttarakhand's disaster management agency, said.
Rescue efforts were ongoing as "there might be more people, teachers and others, trapped under the debris," he said.
The single-story private school collapsed after continuous heavy rains for the past week, officials said.
