A kindergarten teacher surnamed Li and a school bus driver surnamed Deng received jail sentences on Wednesday after a student died of suffocation last year on a bus in Yingde, Guangdong province, Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

Li, who was sentenced to 42 months imprisonment, and Deng, who received a 36-month sentence, committed manslaughter, according to the verdict of the Yingde People's Court.

Punishment for the two was reduced after they actively compensated the victim's family and obtained their forgiveness, the verdict said.

The tragedy took place on Sept 11, 2013, when a 3-year-old girl surnamed Zhong was found to have suffocated to death on a kindergarten bus.

Li and Deng quickly left after they turned off the vehicle and closed the windows of the bus without counting the number of students.