Angry villagers said many children could have been saved if rescue operations started in time.

"For two hours I could see bodies floating in the canal, but nobody came to help us and all we could do was cry and scream for help," said Rambhai Thakore, a villager from Bamroli, which lost 15 girls in the accident.

Hundreds of villagers at Bamroli joined grieving parents to mourn the deaths and blamed local authorities for the accident.

"Children were screaming for help, some were struggling to swim but all of them died in front of our eyes," Dharaji, a woman who lost her two daughters in the accident said.

"They promised to perform well in their exams but they died on their way to school," Dharaji, who goes by one name said.

Television pictures showed grieving parents trying to identify their children from among rows of bodies laid out by the canal.

"My daughter was going for her last examination today," said Bhikiben, one of the bereaved mothers.

"She was very happy that her holidays were to begin, but now everything has ended for her," she said as authorities prepared to take her daughter's body to a local hospital.

Rescuers used boats and officials said divers were looking for more bodies in the canal.

Many anxious parents, uncertain if their children were on the bus, were also seen rummaging through school bags recovered from the water to see if these belonged to their children.

(Agencies via China Daily April 17, 2008)