BEIJING, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The death toll in a school bus accident in China's Jiangsu province rose to 15 Tuesday, when three hospitalized children died of their injuries, officials said.
At least eight children remained hospitalized from Monday's accident, in which the driver of a school bus carrying 29 students flipped into a water-filled ditch after trying to avoid colliding with a pedicab, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Water flowed into the overturned bus, drowning several students, said Zhang Bin, deputy head of the Fengxian county government.
The driver was detained for questioning, Zhang said.
Also Monday, a school bus with 59 students was struck by a truck in south China's Guangdong province, injuring 37 students, Cai Yaoxin, a Lecong township government official, said Tuesday. The school bus and truck drivers were in police custody.
Both accidents occurred a day after the China's cabinet voted to strengthen school bus safety following a crash in which 19 students were killed about a month ago, Xinhua said.
Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has urged government departments to draft safety regulations and standards for school buses while improving the design, production and distribution of the vehicles.
