Kaziranga: At least 23 people were killed after a container truck collided head-on with a mini-bus in Assam’s Kaziranga on Friday. Most of those travelling in the mini-bus were students, it has been reported.
The death toll could rise as rescue teams continue with their efforts to retrieve bodies from the mangled vehicle.
The accident occurred when the mini-bus was travelling from Bokakhat towards Nagaon. The impact left the passenger vehicle badly mangled, with several people trapped inside.
A rescue operation was launched by locals and the police. The injured were rushed to the Kohora Model Hospital for treatment, while most of those critically injured were later referred to the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital.
The rescue operation was still underway when Golaghat senior superintendent of police (SSP) Swapnaneel Deka confirmed that 23 people had died.
“We have got a preliminary report that 23 people died in the accident. We are all at the spot, and bodies are being retrieved from the bus, so the number of deaths is likely to rise,” Deka said.
The exact number of people travelling in the mini-bus was not immediately known, he said.
The mini-bus was travelling at a high speed and had violated restrictions imposed near the national park, the SSP said. The driver lost control of the vehicle before it collided with the container truck, the police suspect.
“The bus was moving at very high speed, violating restrictions imposed near the park. We think that the accident took place when the driver of the mini bus lost control, and the vehicle collided with the container truck,” Deka said.
Details of the mini-bus’s traffic challans have also emerged. The vehicle, identified as a Traveller, reportedly had 12 challans that had been paid, amounting to Rs 38,500. Another challan of Rs 4,000 remains outstanding, as reported by India Today.
The outstanding penalty is reportedly the applicable fine in Assam for overspeeding by a commercial vehicle.
The relief and rescue operation of was supervised by Assam panchayat and rural development minister Atul Bora, who is also the local MLA.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed grief over the accident, saying the loss of lives had shaken the state.
He extended his condolences to the families of those killed, in a post on X, and said the people of Assam stood with them during the difficult time.
The government’s immediate priority was to ensure that the injured received the best possible medical treatment without delay. Sarma also confirmed that minister Bora was at the accident site, personally overseeing the relief arrangements.
