At least 24 schoolchildren are feared dead after their bus crashed into a truck in the Etah district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday morning, ANI reported. The police said that several children were still trapped inside the bus and the rescue operations were under way. The incident took place in Aliganj.

Uttra Pradesh Director General of Police Javeed Ahmad said the school was running even though the state government had asked all educational institutes in the region to remain closed because of the cold. “More than two dozen children have died. [The] Priority is to rescue [the] trapped children. Rescue operation is underway. Strict action will be taken against the school,” Ahmad told ANI.

Investigators have yet to confirm the cause of the accident.