India school building collapse kills 18 children

At least 18 children were killed when a school building collapsed in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand following heavy monsoon rains.

Six children were pulled out safely, but many are still trapped under the debris, an official said.

The incident took place in the remote Sumgarh village. Rescue operations are continuing, officials said.

Heavy rains for the past week have led to a major disruption in life in the mountain areas of Uttarakhand.

"We have brought out the bodies of 18 children and a search is on for more," Piyush Rautela, who heads Uttarakhand's disaster management agency, told the BBC.

Rescuers were looking for more people as "there might be more people, teachers and others, trapped under the debris," he said.

The site of the incident is in Bageshwar district which is 412km (256 miles) from the state capital, Dehradun.

Reports said the single-storey building collapsed after heavy rain.

Earlier this month, a cloudburst in the northern region of Ladakh killed 185 people, including six foreign trekkers.

At least 400 people are still missing.