At least 23 people were killed and 20 others injured after a minibus collided head-on with a container truck near Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Friday. Many of those travelling in the minibus were college students returning from their classes, police said.
The accident took place on National Highway 715, when the passenger vehicle collided with the truck. The minibus was travelling from Golaghat towards Nagaon, while the container truck was headed towards Upper Assam.
Two women were among those killed, a police officer said. The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained.
Details of the minibus's traffic violation history have also emerged. The vehicle reportedly had 12 challans, amounting to Rs 38,500, which had been paid. Another challan of Rs 4,000 remains outstanding. The penalty is reportedly the applicable fine for overspeeding by a commercial vehicle in Assam.
Golaghat Senior SP Swapnaneel Deka confirmed that 23 people had died in the accident. He said the death toll could rise as rescue teams continued retrieving bodies from the mangled vehicle.
"The death toll is rising very fast. As per the latest information, doctors have confirmed that 23 people have died in the accident. The identities of the dead are being ascertained now," an Executive Magistrate of Golaghat district told reporters.
The exact number of passengers travelling in the minibus was not immediately known, officials said.
RESCUE OPERATIONS UNDERWAY
Following the collision, local residents and police personnel joined the rescue operation, as several passengers were trapped inside the badly damaged minibus.
The injured were initially taken to Kohora Model Hospital. Nine ambulances were deployed to transport them for treatment, while most of the critically injured were referred to hospitals in Bokakhat and Golaghat, as well as the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital.
An official said doctors had referred 20 injured people to Jorhat for advanced treatment.
The rescue and relief operations were being overseen by senior civil and police officials, who rushed to the accident site soon after the incident.
Assam Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Atul Bora, who is also the local MLA, reached the spot and supervised the arrangements.
Preliminary assessments suggest that the minibus was travelling at a high speed and may have violated restrictions imposed on vehicles near Kaziranga National Park.
A senior official said the driver may have lost control of the vehicle before it collided with the container truck.
"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," the official said.
The Golaghat district administration said a detailed enquiry would be conducted to establish the circumstances leading to the accident. Investigators will also examine whether either vehicle violated traffic regulations, including speed restrictions near the national park and passenger capacity limits.
Additional District Commissioner Jintu Borah said postmortems of the deceased would be conducted at Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat during the night, with special lighting arrangements being made.
HIMANTA SARMA EXPRESSES GRIEF
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident and extended his condolences to the families of the deceased.
In a social media post, he said he was deeply distressed by the tragedy and that the scale of the loss had shaken the state.
"My heart goes out to every family that has lost a loved one. No words can ease their pain, but I want them to know that they are not alone. All of Assam stands with them in this hour of grief," he said.
Sarma said the immediate priority was to ensure that the injured received the best possible medical treatment without delay. He added that Minister Atul Bora was at the site, personally overseeing the relief arrangements.
The Chief Minister also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and strength for the bereaved families.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed grief over the accident, describing the loss of lives as heartbreaking. He extended his condolences to the bereaved families and wished those injured a speedy recovery.
Source: PTI