Kaziranga accident: at least 23 die as minibus hits truck in Assam

At least 23 people were killed and about 20 injured when a minibus collided head-on with a container truck near Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Friday (13 November). Many of the dead were college students returning from classes, a police officer said, and two were women. The toll could rise, officials said, and some reports put it at 24.

The crash happened at Rangajan, near Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range of Golaghat district, on National Highway 715. The Traveller minibus was travelling from Golaghat to Nagaon, while the container truck was heading towards Upper Assam. Golaghat SP Swapnaneel Deka told Reuters the bus had about 30 people on board, and that “23 confirmed deaths” had been recorded when he spoke.

Police said the bus was running at very high speed and violating restrictions imposed near the national park. “We think that the accident took place when the driver of the minibus lost control, and the vehicle collided with the container truck,” a senior official said, according to PTI. A man who identified himself as the truck's driver, travelling from Tezpur to Dibrugarh, said the Traveller hit his vehicle directly; he and another person in the truck escaped with minor injuries, the New Indian Express reported.

Several passengers were trapped in the wreckage, and locals and police worked on the rescue. The injured were taken to Kohora Model Hospital, and most of the critically hurt were referred to hospitals in Bokakhat, Golaghat and Jorhat. A Golaghat magistrate said nine ambulances were ferrying the injured, and about 20 people were referred to Jorhat for advanced treatment. Post-mortems were to be held at Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat that night.

Officials said a thorough enquiry would examine whether either vehicle broke traffic rules, such as carrying more passengers than seats or exceeding the speed limit on the Kaziranga stretch. PTI reported that the minibus had 12 paid challans worth ₹38,500 and another ₹4,000 penalty outstanding, according to officials.

Local MLA and state minister Atul Bora reached the spot and supervised relief work. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on X that he was “deeply distressed by the tragic accident” and had sent a senior minister to the site. “Our foremost priority now is to make sure the injured receive the best possible medical care without delay,” he wrote.