A speeding minibus collided head-on with a container truck on National Highway 715 near Kaziranga National Park on Friday, killing at least 12 passengers and leaving several others critically injured.
Lethal impact crushed the passenger vehicle at Rangajan, right beside the Hathikuli Tea Estate in Assam's Golaghat district. First responders pulled seven bodies from the wreckage during the immediate rescue effort. Five more victims succumbed to traumatic injuries shortly after reaching medical facilities.
Police teams deployed to the Kohora range faced an arduous extrication process as highway traffic ground to a halt. The force of the impact compressed the front rows of the minibus into scrap metal.
Police confirmed the minibus was moving at reckless velocity through an ecologically fragile belt where strict vehicle speed limits apply to safeguard wildlife corridors around Kaziranga.
Golaghat Senior Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka stated that initial assessments point directly to reckless driving as the trigger for the tragedy.
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.
Swapnaneel Deka, Senior Superintendent of Police, Golaghat
Traffic surveillance along the highway remains under review to determine the exact speed registered prior to the crash.
Assam Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Atul Bora, who represents the constituency as the local MLA, reached the crash site within the hour to coordinate relief operations alongside district officials and emergency response units.
First responders rushed the wounded to Kohora Model Hospital for emergency triage. Attending physicians stabilized the wounded before transferring the most critically injured survivors to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital for advanced surgical intervention.
| Incident Parameter | Official Status |
|---|---|
| Incident Location | Rangajan, near Hathikuli Tea Estate, Kohora Range (NH-715) |
| Confirmed Fatalities | 12 passengers |
| Vehicles Involved | Minibus and container freight truck |
| Primary Referral Center | Jorhat Medical College and Hospital |
| Enforcement Investigation | Speed limit violations under Kaziranga corridor transit norms |
District police and transport department personnel are clearing the damaged vehicles from the highway shoulder while identifying the deceased passengers to notify surviving family members.