Kaziranga accident: at least 24 dead, many students, in Assam crash

At least 24 people were killed on Friday, 13 November when a crowded minibus and a container truck collided head-on on National Highway 715 near Kaziranga National Park in Assam. Many of the dead were students on their way home from classes, and a doctor at the local hospital later put the toll at 26.

What happened on NH-715?

The crash took place at Rangajan, near Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range of Golaghat district, PTI reported. Police said the minibus was going from Golaghat to Nagaon, while the truck was heading towards Upper Assam.

Police estimated about 45 people were on the minibus. One survivor told The Assam Tribune there were around 60 people on board, nearly 35 of them school students. The exact number has not been confirmed.

How many people died?

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said at least 24 people died, students among them. “All of Assam stands with them in this hour of grief,” he said. Later on Friday, Dipam Kumar Barman, a senior doctor at Kohora Model Hospital, told PTI the number had risen to 26, including women and minors. About 20 people were injured.

The injured were first taken to Kohora Model Hospital. Serious cases were sent to Bokakhat Civil Hospital, the civil hospital in Golaghat and Jorhat Medical College and Hospital. Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said six patients at Jorhat were critical, The Assam Tribune reported.

What caused the crash?

Officials have not given a final cause. An official told PTI the minibus was going fast in a restricted-speed zone near the park and the driver appeared to lose control. A dashcam video shared online is said to show the minibus swerving into the truck’s lane, but it has not been verified.

PTI reported that the minibus had several earlier overspeeding fines, including one for 102 km/h in March. Minister Atul Bora, the local MLA, said early accounts suggest both vehicles were travelling at high speed. Survivors spoke of speeds of 70 to 90 km/h.

The district administration will hold an inquiry into whether either vehicle broke traffic rules, including overloading and speeding near the park. Pegu said any lapses in road maintenance would also be investigated.

Compensation announced

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the family of each person killed and ₹50,000 for each injured person, the PMO said. Sarma said the state government would give “all possible assistance” to the families but had not named an amount by Friday night.

Why this matters to Pakistani readers

The questions in Assam are the same ones Pakistan asks after its own highway tragedies: overloaded passenger vans, drivers with past speeding fines still on the road, and enforcement on busy stretches. Kaziranga’s highway has speed limits partly to protect wildlife crossing it, and those limits are now under scrutiny.

Sarma was due to visit Golaghat on Saturday, 14 November to meet the families and review safety on the highway. Post-mortems were being carried out at Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat.