A bus driver in Italy has been praised for getting 25 schoolchildren to safety after noticing a problem with his vehicle before it burst into flames, writes BBC.

The bus, which was transporting youngsters aged between 14 and 16 to a summer camp, caught fire in a tunnel about 80km north of Milan.

Firefighters quickly arrived at the scene and extinguished the flames.

Footage released by the fire department showed smoke billowing out of the tunnel and long queues of traffic.

Seven children were taken to hospital as a precaution for smoke inhalation, the Lecco news website reported.