A truck crashed into a crowd of 20 students in the al-Haritha sub-district in the north of Basra governorate after the driver lost control and nine students were killed in the incident, a Channel8 reporter said.
The incident occurred in front of Zainab Primary School, where the students attended school.
Initial reports from the Iraqi Health Ministry said six students were killed and 10 others injured.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry said in a statement that the driver has been arrested.
Basra Governor Assad al-Eidani has declared three days of mourning and called the incident a disaster.
A Channel8 reporter said the children’s family members arrived at the hospital to receive the bodies.
