At least 14 people, including many children, have died in a bus crash in southern Iraq.

Around 30 passengers were badly burned when the vehicle crashed and burst into flames while travelling from Basra to Baghdad.

The accident occurred north of the city of Kut, southeast of the capital.

The bus appeared to suffer technical failure and then lost control and flipped over before catching fire, police major Aziz al-Amara said.

He said there was no indication of insurgents or militants being involved, adding: "It was a traffic accident."

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