Assam: 23 killed as a minibus and a container truck collide head-on near Kaziranga

An official said the bus was running at very high speed, violating restrictions imposed near the national park, and that the driver probably lost control. Golaghat's Superintendent of Police, Swapnaneel Deka, said senior civil and police officials rushed to the spot and that the exact number of passengers was not immediately known. Officials said the inquiry will also look into overloading, which means more passengers than the seats allow.

The injured and the response

The injured were first taken to Kohora Model Hospital. Those in critical condition were moved to civil hospitals at Bokakhat and Golaghat, and 20 people were referred to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital for advanced treatment. Nine ambulances ferried patients. Post-mortems were being carried out at the Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat, and an additional district commissioner, Jintu Borah, said they would continue overnight. The identities of the dead were still being established, and the accounts seen do not name an institution or give a count of the students.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he was deeply distressed, that all of Assam stands with the bereaved families, and that the first priority is prompt medical care for the injured. Atul Bora, the minister who represents the area, was at the site overseeing relief and rescue. No ex gratia payment had been announced in the reports seen, and no First Information Report or arrest was reported by the evening. The status of the minibus driver was not confirmed; one early report said the driver and a helper died at the scene, but it was not verified.

Why this stretch matters

The highway runs along the edge of Kaziranga National Park, where restrictions apply to vehicles passing through the area. An official said the bus was violating the restrictions imposed near the park, and that statement suggests the inquiry will examine what the vehicle's speed was and whether it was checked at any point on its route.

The same highway has seen deadly crashes before. In January 2024, a head-on collision between a coal-laden truck and a bus carrying 49 people near Dergaon, also on National Highway 715 in Golaghat district, killed 12 people and injured about 38. The road, which was earlier numbered National Highway 37, is the main route along the Brahmaputra valley and carries heavy goods traffic as well as buses and tourist vehicles bound for the park.

India has one of the highest numbers of road deaths in the world, and head-on collisions between passenger vehicles and heavy trucks are a recurring cause. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways publishes yearly figures on deaths and their causes, and over-speeding is consistently the main one. A collision with a loaded container truck is most dangerous for those in the lighter vehicle.

Kaziranga reopens to visitors every year from 1 November, so traffic on the highway is heavier at this time of year than in the monsoon months.

The district administration has said it will hold a thorough inquiry into the cause of the crash and into possible traffic violations. The facts still to come are the final death toll, the names of the victims, the speed and condition of the minibus, and whether charges are filed against the drivers or the vehicle's owner. Families looking for relatives have been asked to contact the district administration and the hospitals named above, and the government is expected to announce compensation once the figures are confirmed.