New Delhi, May 3 (IANS): A school van in which a seven-year-old girl was travelling when it met with an accident, leaving her dead and 16 other students injured, was plying "illegally" while the driver of the tanker that ploughed into it was drunk, a senior official said.

The accident took place in north Delhi last week when a tanker hit the van and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.

The official told IANS that an interim report submitted two days back found out that the school van was over 15 years old and was thus plying illegally in the city.

The van had completed 15 years in 2017.

"Also the report has recommended to register cases against the owner of the school van and its driver under Sections 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 337 (Causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code)," the officer said.

"The report also said that the driver of the tanker was driving under the influence of alcohol," he added.