A catastrophic head-on collision between a commercial truck and a packed minibus claimed at least 24 lives on National Highway-715 near Kaziranga on Thursday. Seven passengers sustained critical injuries. The death toll is expected to climb as rescue crews cut through mangled metal to retrieve trapped victims.
The crash happened at high speed. The minibus was ferrying commuters west from Bokakhat toward Nagaon when the oncoming truck struck it near Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range. Impact shattered the passenger cabin instantly, tossing the smaller vehicle into the highway shoulder and trapping dozens inside.
District authorities mobilised emergency personnel within minutes of the morning impact at Rongajan. High velocity compounded the destruction along the two-lane corridor, which traverses sensitive wildlife zones and rural habitations flanking Kaziranga.
Rescue workers and local residents used heavy machinery to pull bodies from the crushed chassis. Paramedics transferred seven severely injured commuters to nearby medical facilities, where attending doctors listed multiple victims in critical condition.
We have got a preliminary report that at least seven people were killed in the accident. We are all at the spot, and bodies are being retrieved from the bus, so the number of deaths is likely to rise.
Swapnaneel Deka, Senior Superintendent of Police, Golaghat
| Incident Parameter | Verified Official Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Rongajan, near Hathikuli Tea Estate, Kohora Range (NH-715) |
| Transit Route | Bokakhat to Nagaon |
| Vehicles Involved | Passenger minibus and commercial haulage truck |
| Fatalities | At least 24 confirmed dead |
| Critically Injured | 7 hospitalised |
| Lead Official | Swapnaneel Deka, Senior Superintendent of Police, Golaghat |
Traffic on National Highway-715 ground to an immediate halt as emergency response teams cleared debris across both lanes.
Police officials established an incident perimeter around the Rongajan junction to facilitate continuous ambulance access. First responders prioritised immediate trauma triage, redirecting the most critically wounded passengers to advanced state healthcare units equipped for major polytrauma interventions.
Golaghat district police personnel remain stationed at the Rongajan site to clear the disabled vehicles, oversee the formal identification process of the deceased at the civil hospital, and prepare a detailed vehicular inspection report to determine mechanical fault or lane-discipline violations.