HAIKOU - A bus driver in south China's Hainan Province has been arrested after his vehicle overturned leaving eight schoolchildren dead and another 32 injured, the local procuratorate said on Friday.

The procuratorate of Wenchang City had issued an arrest warrant for Zhao Caisen for allegedly causing the casualties, said a statement issued by the Hainan Provincial Procuratorate.

A bus carrying 47 people overturned at about 10:30 a.m. on April 10 in Chengmai County, where Xincai School had organized an outing for 586 students on 14 buses. Eight first-graders, four boys and four girls, died at the scene and among the 29 injured, three suffered serious injuries.

Traffic police confirmed later that Zhao was fully responsible for the accident.

Zhao is accused of not being in control of the bus while driving on an under-construction road, which was slippery due to rain. He also failed to identify that the brake on the bus was defective before the trip.