SINGAPORE - The body of a six-year-old boy who was run over by a bus on Thursday (May 24) has been sent back to India, The Straits Times has learnt.

Ashvin was pinned under the SMRT bus, which was travelling along Choa Chu Kang Avenue 5, and suffered multiple injuries. He died at the National University Hospital.

According to Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao, Ashvin had travelled to Singapore with his pregnant mother from their home town in Chennai, India, to visit his father, a permanent resident working in Singapore. The father had moved into his rental flat in the area a few months ago.

But the visit ended in tragedy after the child allegedly rushed out in front of the bus while his mother was busy adjusting her grip on some groceries and his scooter.

Ashvin was trapped near the rear wheel of the bus, and had to be extracted by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responders.

The Straits Times was not able to independently verify his father's profession or his future plans.

A group of five men arrived at the Singapore General Hospital mortuary at around 12.30 pm Friday to collect Ashvin's body and have it embalmed before it was sent back to India.

They declined to respond to media queries, citing privacy concerns for the child's family, when approached for comment.

But The Straits Times understands that one of them is a relative of the child, with the rest being friends of the bereaved parents.

The boy's parents are also understood to have left on an earlier flight at 2pm back to India.

Ashvin's body was flown back to Chennai in a flight departing Changi Airport in the evening.

Police investigations, with assistance from the 57-year-old bus driver, are ongoing.