Four children were buried alive when they fell into a pit being excavated in India.

The youngsters - all aged between five and 12 - were playing at the site near the Bangladeshi border, where workers were digging with heavy equipment to deepen a drain in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district on Monday afternoon.

As they scampered through the trenches, the ground suddenly gave way, plunging them into a 15ft-deep pit.

The youngsters tried to clamber back up, but excavators dumped a huge pile of soil on them before villagers and Border Security Force (BSF) members rushed to their rescue.

The kids were taken to the Dolua Rural Hospital but were tragically pronounced dead.

Joby Thomas, superintendent of police of the Islampur police district, said: 'The trench was 10 to 15 feet deep. Somehow, a portion of the mud caved in and the four kids got buried, while another kid escaped unhurt. The bodies were sent for autopsy. We are investigating.'

The incident occurred at a BSF camp, with furious residents blaming the BSF for its alleged negligence.

The ruling All India Trinamool Congress said in a statement: 'After firing at innocent villagers, the MHA-controlled BSF has now adopted a new approach: KILL people through negligence! The anti-Bengal hysteria has reached a NEW LOW.

In response to the accusations, the BSF issued a statement clarifying that the locals had tried to seize the JCB excavator. It said: 'Some civilians were digging the soil with the help of 01 JCB with 05 tractors in AOR of BOP Chetnagach, during which an accident occurred and 04 children from Vill- Chetnagach got buried under soil.

'They were evacuated to SD Hospital Islampur but later succumbed. The JCB was confiscated by the villagers.'