Swedish school bus crash kills five

Four students and their driver were killed in the crash

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Four students have been killed after their school bus collided head on with a lumber truck in central Sweden.

The bus driver was also killed while eight other people were seriously injured, police and rescuers said.

The bus, which was carrying at least 36 high school students, was on its way to a school just outside the city of Sundsvall, 300 kilometres (185 miles) north of the capital, Stockholm, on Monday morning when the crash happened.

Authorities had given earlier conflicting reports about the number of students killed, seriously injured or on the bus, but said that was due to confusion at the accident site and the hospital.

Police spokeswoman Margareta Roeden, who was at the hospital, told the Associated Press that the male bus driver and four students died in the crash.

She said the truck driver and seven students remained in serious condition, three with head injuries.

More than 25 students were hospitalised with minor injuries, Roeden said, adding that she could not confirm the number of bus passengers since some may have left the scene.

The vehicles crashed just before 10 a.m. (0800 GMT), police spokesman Hans Sporrong said.

"All work has been concentrated on helping the affected people. The technical investigation will come at a later stage," he told AP.

Witnesses at the scene said the youths were screaming and breaking the windows of the bus to get out.

The ages of the students ranged from 13 to 16, Roeden said.