KAZIRANGA (ASSAM): At least 23 people were killed and several others injured on Friday when a minibus carrying more than 35 passengers collided head-on with a container truck near Kaziranga National Park in Assam's Golaghat district, news agency PTI reported. The crash took place at Rangajan, near the Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range, on National Highway 715.

Source: The Daily Jagran (PTI)

The death toll climbed through the day as bodies were pulled from the wreckage. Golaghat District Commissioner Biswajit Phukan initially told ANI that seven people had died; Golaghat Senior Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka later said hospitals had reported 12 dead, and the toll subsequently rose to at least 23. Deka warned that the figure may rise further as rescue teams finish clearing the damaged minibus.

Source: Saptashwa TV

Two of the dead were women, and several of the victims were college students who were returning from their classes when the accident occurred, the SSP said. The minibus was travelling from Bokakhat towards Nagaon. The exact number of passengers on board was yet to be officially established.

Police suspect overspeeding in the park corridor

Preliminary investigation points to rash driving, SSP Deka told PTI. "The bus was running at very high speed, violating restrictions imposed near the park. We think that the accident took place when the driver of the minibus lost control, and the vehicle collided with the container truck," he said. The highway along the Kaziranga corridor carries strict speed limits meant to protect both travellers and the park's wildlife. Police said the exact cause of the collision is still being investigated.

Minister at the spot; critically injured shifted to Jorhat

Assam Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Atul Bora, who is also the local MLA, rushed to the spot to supervise relief and rescue operations. The injured were first taken to Kohora Model Hospital, and most of the critically injured were referred on to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital for advanced care.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed grief in a post on X, writing: "I am deeply distressed by the tragic accident in Kaziranga earlier today. The scale of this loss has shaken all of us." He said the government's foremost priority was to ensure the injured receive the best possible medical care without delay, and that Minister Atul Bora was at the site personally overseeing relief arrangements.

Source: Himanta Biswa Sarma on X (via The Daily Jagran)