The children, from the Jyothi Nilayam School on the city’s outskirts, were returning home from school.
Eyewitnesses said the van skidded off the road while trying to avoid a dog which came in its path.
Three children — Aromal, Ashwin and a girl Kaniha — died, while 16 students have been hospitalised, police said. All of them are out of danger.
All the students were aged below 12 years, said Nedumangad constituency legislator Palode Ravi.
He said that locals jumped into the canal and rescued many children. Police and fire brigade teams also conducted rescue operations, assisted by the Central Reserve Police Force. A team of naval divers from Kochi has also reached the spot.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who reached the accident site, said that all arrangements will be made for the injured.
After a meeting of the cabinet here later, Chandy announced compensation for the kin of the three students who had died.
Published 26 September 2011, 19:17 IST