Kaziranga, Assam (Gurpreet Singh): At least 26 people, including women and minors, were killed and 20 others injured after a minibus collided head-on with a container truck near Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Friday. Several of those killed were college students returning from their classes, officials said.
The accident took place at Rangajan, near Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range, on National Highway-715. The minibus was travelling from Golaghat to Nagaon, while the container truck was heading towards Upper Assam.
Dipam Kumar Barman, a senior doctor at Kohora Model Hospital, confirmed that the death toll had risen to 26. The injured were taken to different hospitals, with critically injured victims referred to Bokakhat Civil Hospital, Golaghat Civil Hospital and Jorhat Medical College and Hospital for advanced treatment.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Announces Hospital Visit
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed grief over the accident and said the scale of the loss had shaken the state. He assured the affected families that the government was prioritising medical care for the injured.
Sarma said Minister Ranoj Pegu would visit Kaziranga, while he would reach the area the following day. Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Atul Bora, who is also the local MLA, was already at the accident site overseeing rescue and relief operations.
Bora later visited hospitals to review the treatment being provided to the injured. He said instructions had been issued to ensure that all victims received proper medical care.
The Chief Minister also directed that post-mortems be conducted at Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat on Saturday during daytime.
Minibus Had Previous Speeding Challans, Says Transport Official
An official of the Golaghat District Transport Office said the minibus had previously attracted multiple fines for speeding.
According to the official, the vehicle was registered in the name of Anjir Ali of Nagaon and was fined Rs 4,000 in Jorhat on March 3 after it was recorded travelling at 102 kmph. It had also received multiple speeding fines in Kaziranga, with several penalties reportedly pending.
A senior official said the minibus may have been travelling at high speed and could have lost control before crossing into the truck’s lane. However, the district administration has ordered a detailed inquiry to establish the exact circumstances of the collision.
Investigators will also examine whether either vehicle violated traffic rules, including speed restrictions near the national park and passenger capacity limits.
14 Victims Identified After Kaziranga Crash
Officials said 14 of the deceased had been identified. They were named as Jyoti Majhi, Darpana Majhi, Anurag Goala, a 12-year-old boy, Abdul Mujid, the minibus driver, Subhash, the handyman, Rashid Ali, Hafiza Khatun, Farhana Yasmin, KR Lobho, Amjad Ali, Bulbul Ali, Baby Karmakar, Damini Ghatowar and Dipanjali Rongphar.
The Golaghat district administration said nine ambulances had been deployed to transport the injured. Around 20 people were referred to Jorhat for advanced treatment.
The impact of the collision left the front portion of the minibus severely mangled, while the container truck skidded off the road.
A purported dashcam video of the collision has also circulated on social media. It appears to show the minibus approaching the truck at high speed before crossing lanes and hitting it. The footage and the circumstances leading to the crash are part of the broader investigation.
Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya also expressed grief over the deaths and extended condolences to the bereaved families, while wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
