GUWAHATI: Twenty-three people were killed when a minibus (Traveller) they were travelling in collided head-on with a container truck at Rangajan near Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Friday.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed grief over the accident in a social media post, saying he was deeply distressed by the tragedy.
"The scale of this loss has shaken all of us, and my heart goes out to every family that has lost a loved one. No words can ease their pain, but I want them to know that they are not alone. All of Assam stands with them in this hour of grief," he said.
Sarma said the immediate priority was to ensure that the injured received the best possible medical care without delay. He added that Minister Atul Bora was at the site and personally overseeing the relief arrangements.
"I pray for the swift recovery of the injured and for strength for the bereaved families," the chief minister said.
The accident occurred near Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range on National Highway 715 when the passenger vehicle collided head-on with the container truck, a senior police officer said.
Local MLA Atul Bora, who is also a minister, told media persons that 23 people lost their lives in the mishap. Over a dozen injured passengers were rushed to hospitals in Jorhat and Golaghat.
“Twenty-three people have died. Some of them died on the spot. It’s a very unfortunate incident,” Bora said.
The passengers were mostly young people, including college students. There were also some elderly people. The Traveller was headed to Nagaon from Golaghat, while the container truck was travelling towards Upper Assam.
A man, who identified himself as the truck driver, said, “I was en route to Dibrugarh from Tezpur. The Traveller directly hit our vehicle.” He and another person who was in the truck escaped with minor injuries.
Several passengers were trapped inside the Traveller after the accident, prompting a rescue operation by locals and police personnel. Senior civil and police officials rushed to the spot to oversee relief and rescue operations.
The injured were initially taken to the Kohora Model Hospital, while most of those critically injured were referred to hospitals in Bokakhat and Golaghat, as well as the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital.
The exact number of people travelling in the minibus was not immediately known, though reports suggested that more than 35 passengers were on board.
The Golaghat district administration will institute a thorough enquiry to establish the cause of the accident and determine whether either of the vehicles violated traffic norms, including rules on passenger capacity and speed limits near Kaziranga National Park, an official said.
Additional District Commissioner Jintu Borah said the postmortem examinations of the deceased would be conducted at Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat during the night, with special lighting arrangements being made.
The cause of the mishap was not immediately known. Overspeeding was suspected, as speed is restricted along the Kaziranga stretch. Police said the bus was allegedly travelling at a very high speed, in violation of restrictions imposed near the park, and suspected that its driver lost control before the collision.
