At least 11 Palestinians were killed on Thursday morning in two accidents in the West Bank, witnesses and medical sources said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered a three-day official mourning following the two accidents, the official Wafa news agency reported.

A truck driver and nine school children were killed when a bus and a truck collided in Ramallah city. About 40 others, most of whom are students in the bus, were wounded and taken to hospital, the sources added.

Police said that the bus overturned and caught fire, with most of the dead bodies being burnt.

The report said that the truck carried an Israeli license, while the bus was Palestinian.

Israeli ambulances took part in evacuating the injured students and the Israeli army closed a nearby checkpoint to facilitate the movement of ambulances.

Five students and two teachers were moved to an Israeli hospital, Israel Radio reported.

In the holy city of Bethlehem, a truck skidded across sidewalk and killed a child on Thursday, the police said, adding that an investigation was under way concerning the two accidents.