At least 23 killed in Assam bus-truck collision near Kaziranga
A head-on collision between a minibus and a container truck on National Highway 715 left several people dead and injured.
At least 23 people died and 20 were injured after a minibus collided head-on with a container truck near Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Friday, according to reports from The Economic Times, The Federal and Pragativadi.
The accident occurred at approximately 2:30 pm at Rangajan in the Kohora range on National Highway 715. The minibus was travelling from Jorhat toward Nagaon and was carrying more than 35 passengers, including students from Kaziranga High School, when it hit the oncoming truck.
Golaghat Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Swapnaneel Deka confirmed the fatalities and noted that the number of deaths might increase as rescue teams work to retrieve victims from the wreckage.
Police suspect the driver of the minibus lost control because the vehicle was travelling at a very high speed, violating restrictions set near the park.
Assam Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Atul Bora, who is also the local MLA, arrived at the site to supervise relief and rescue operations.
The injured were taken to Kohora Model Hospital, with critically injured passengers referred to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, Bokakhat Civil Hospital, and Golaghat. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed that he was deeply distressed by the accident.