Gaya, Aug. 9: Four children, including two girls, were crushed to death today when a speeding truck, laden with stone chips, rammed into the open space area of a government middle school during classes.

While two children died on the spot, one succumbed to injuries at Barachatti primary health centre and the other at Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMCH), Gaya. Three other seriously injured children were rushed to ANMCH.

The deceased were identified as Durgawati Kumari, Shivani Kumari, Abhishek Kumar and Amit Kumar of villages Rabaya and Kohbari.

Angry residents thrashed the errant driver, Vijay Kumar, who is battling for life at ANMCH. The incident occurred in the Pareya Upgraded Government Middle School on Barachatti-Mohanpur road, 47km south from Gaya district headquarters around 2.30pm.

The school has only two rooms for 500 students. As there is not enough space in the two classrooms, classes were being held in the open, around 10m away from the school building.

There is a speed breaker near the school. Prima facie, the driver lost control over the speeding truck while crossing the breaker, said eyewitnesses. Residents destroyed all documents in the school office. They took furniture, doors and windows from the school and torched them on the road, blocking it from 3pm to 7 pm.

District magistrate Kumar Ravi and senior superintendent of police Garima Malik rushed to the spot. The DM said an inquiry would be conducted on how classes were being held in the open. A compensation of Rs 4 lakh will be paid to each of the deceased's families, he said.