NEW DELHI, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Five passengers, including two children, were killed Thursday when a private bus carrying them caught fire on the outskirts of Lucknow, capital city of Uttar Pradesh in the north, police said. 

The moving bus, which was reportedly carrying 80 passengers, caught fire in the Mohanlalganj area when the majority of the passengers were asleep. 

Passengers told media the fire spread rapidly and engulfed the entire bus within minutes. 

Several other passengers are said to have sustained burn injuries and they were shifted to the nearest hospital. 

Police said a preliminary investigation revealed that the fire might have started due to a short circuit in the gearbox of the bus.