A Rangitīkei school has praised its young students for comforting each other in the aftermath of a school bus crash that killed the driver.

The bus crash happened just before 3pm yesterday on Makirikiri Rd between Marton and Whanganui. Six students were on the bus at the time, and all escaped without injury. However, the driver died at the scene.

South Mākirikiri school principal Greg Allan and board of trustees member Libby Rayner said their thoughts are with the whānau of the driver.

“We will be supporting them through this tough time.”

They said they were incredibly proud of the students for handling such a difficult situation.

“[They] did an amazing job getting out of the vehicle, caring for, and supporting each other until help arrived soon afterwards.

“We are incredibly proud of the way they handled this challenging situation. We want to thank the emergency services who supported these students for their incredible care until familiar faces could get to them.”

The children are being supported by their whānau, trauma professionals and the Ministry of Education, along with their peers and teachers.

“We express our deepest condolences to the family of our driver who contributed greatly to our school community and all of our activities that required transport around the region,” Allan and Rayner said.

The NZ Herald has contacted Go Bus for comment.