A speeding minibus jumped its lane and slammed head-on into a container truck near Kaziranga National Park on Friday, killing at least 26 passengers and leaving 20 others critically injured.
The carnage unfolded along National Highway 715 at Rangajan, right beside the Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range. The impact demolished the commuter vehicle. Women and minors were among those killed instantly in the wreck.
The minibus was ferrying passengers westward from Golaghat toward Nagaon. The container truck was hauling cargo in the opposite direction toward Upper Assam. Purported dashcam footage recovered from the truck documented the disaster in chilling clarity: the oncoming minibus barreled down the two-lane corridor at breakneck speed, abruptly veered across the center dividing line, and rammed straight into the heavy carrier.
Speed limits in the Kohora wildlife corridor are strictly capped to shield animal movement. The driver ignored them.
"The bus was running at very high speed, violating restrictions imposed near the park," confirmed a senior police official investigating the crash site. "We think that the accident took place when the driver of the minibus lost control, and the vehicle collided with the container truck."
Rescue workers and highway patrols extracted dozens of trapped passengers from the mangled wreckage before rushing survivors to regional medical centers.
| Incident Parameter | Official Record |
|---|---|
| Location | Rangajan, near Hathikuli Tea Estate, NH-715 (Kohora Range) |
| Confirmed Fatalities | 26 (including women and minors) |
| Injured | 20 hospitalized |
| Route Transits | Minibus (Golaghat to Nagaon) vs. Container Truck (to Upper Assam) |
| Union Ex-Gratia Relief | ₹2 lakh per deceased; ₹50,000 per injured |
The catastrophic toll triggered rapid emergency intervention from Dispur.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that state medical teams were ordered to prioritize immediate, advanced trauma treatment for all 20 hospitalized victims without administrative delays.
The scale of this loss has shaken all of us, and 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.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of Assam
Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya voiced grief over the lives lost on the transit corridor. In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned ex-gratia assistance from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, granting ₹2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased victim and ₹50,000 for each injured survivor.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah conveyed condolences to the bereaved families, noting that authorities are monitoring medical support for the survivors.
District authorities and transport department inspectors have launched a formal inquiry into the mechanical state of the minibus and the enforcement of highway speed monitors across the Kohora belt.