Forty-four people, 41 of them children on their way to school, were killed when a bus carrying them fell into the 60-foot deep Narmada canal at Bodeli village in the district on Wednesday morning.

Most of the 41 children whose bodies were fished out of the Narmada canal were those of girls.

The victims, belonging to different villages of Bodeli taluka near Vadodara, were going to the taluka headquarters to appear in their last examination, state Water Resources Minister Nitin Patel said.

The bus was on its way from Targol to schools in Bodeli when it fell into the Namrada canal, about 60 kms from Vadodara after the driver apparently lost control over the vehicle.

The children were studying in different schools of Bodeli, Patel, who rushed to the spot, said. The examination in Bodeli school has been cancelled following the incident, he added.

"Our top priority is to conduct post-mortem of those who have died and hand over the bodies to the grieving family members," he said. A team of doctors is conducting post-mortem at the nearby hospital, Patel said, adding some of the bodies have already been handed over to the family.

Bodies of three adults which have also been recovered from the 60 feet deep canal, includes that of bus driver and conductor, Patel said.

He said the state government has appointed a five-member high power committee to inquire into the incident. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi [Images] has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs one lakh to the next of the kin of the victims.