'Crossfire' children buried in Colombia

The mother of victim Marcela Sanchez and schoolfriends by her coffin

The burials have taken place in Colombia of six children whose shooting has led to renewed scrutiny of the army's human rights record.

The armed forces say the children were caught in crossfire during a gun battle with left-wing rebels.

But eyewitnesses say no guerrillas were in the area and the soldiers opened fire indiscriminately on the children while they were on a school outing.

President Andres Pastrana has ordered a full investigation into the deaths.

He said the killings underlined the urgent need for an end to the violence in Colombia.

The BBC correspondent in Colombia says the incident comes at a sensitive time for the armed forces, who are due to receive hundreds of millions of dollars from the United States to help strengthen their capability in counter-narcotics.

On Thursday, another of the children injured in the shooting was released from hospital.