The death toll in Monday's school bus crash in east China's Jiangsu Province has climbed to 15, with three more students confirmed dead in hospital early Tuesday, the local government said.
At least eight other children are in hospital with injuries, it said.
The bus had 29 students on board when it overturned in Fengxian county of Xuzhou city at 5:40 p.m.
It was trying to avoid a pedicab when it veered off the road and fell into a ditch, the county government said in a press release late Monday.
The bus belonged to a primary school in Shouxian township, it said.
The bus driver only suffered minor injuries.
"The bus was traveling on the road when two electric bikes suddenly cut in and the driver was trying to avoid them," Zhang Ruchang, a publicity official from the city of Xuzhou, told China Daily.
The 29 pupils - first, second and fourth graders - were on their way home.
The bus was produced by Shaolin Auto Co Ltd in Henan province and had a full capacity of 52 passengers.
Local radio reported that shoes and school bags could be seen floating on the river.
Authorities sent 20 ambulances and a heavy crane as part of the rescue effort.
A day prior to the accident, the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council published draft regulations aimed at improving school bus safety, a move sparked by a nationwide outcry following the deaths of 19 children in an overcrowded, nine-seat bus.
That bus was carrying 64 passengers when it collided with a lorry in November in the northwestern province of Gansu, also killing two adults.
The draft proposed that school buses will have right of way in traffic under the command of police, the vehicles will be able to use bus lanes in rush hour, and private vehicles will be forbidden from overtaking a school bus picking up children.
It stipulates government will establish standards to test the quality of school buses, which now have to go through safety checks every six months.
The buses will also have to be equipped with hammers, fire extinguishers and first aid kits, and drivers will have to conform to strict licensing requirements.
As of press time on Monday, at least 1,141 people had commented on the draft's 59 articles on chinalaw.gov.cn.
