At least 23 passengers were killed and seven others critically injured Thursday after an overspeeding minibus collided head-on with a container truck at Rongajan near Assam's Kaziranga National Park.
The crash tore through the commuter vehicle. Trapped passengers cried out from the crushed frame before emergency workers and local villagers pulled survivors from the wreckage along the Bokakhat-Nagaon corridor.
First responders transferred seven critically injured victims to Kohora Model Hospital for emergency trauma care, where doctors continue to battle to stabilize them. District officials warned the death toll may climb further as rescue teams complete clearing operations.
The minibus had departed Bokakhat and was en route to Nagaon when the impact occurred on the highway fringe bordering the national park.
Investigators established that the passenger bus was travelling well above permissible speeds, directly breaching statutory velocity curbs enforced along the ecologically sensitive Kaziranga wildlife corridor. The driver lost steering control along the Rongajan stretch, veering violently into the path of an oncoming heavy 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.
Swapnaneel Deka, Senior Superintendent of Police, Golaghat
District police teams cordoned off the highway sector to facilitate heavy cranes and gas cutters needed to extricate bodies lodged inside the mangled chassis.
| Crash Parameter | Official Record Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Rongajan, near Kaziranga, Assam |
| Fatalities | 23 confirmed dead |
| Critical Injuries | 7 hospitalized |
| Transit Route | Bokakhat to Nagaon |
| Vehicles Involved | Passenger Minibus & Container Truck |
| Primary Hospital | Kohora Model Hospital |
| Investigating Jurisdiction |
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed that Cabinet Minister Atul Bora had arrived at Rongajan to take direct operational command of relief and hospital coordination.
"The scale of this loss has shaken all of us, and my heart goes out to every family that has lost a loved one," Sarma said, directing the health department to spare no resources for the survivors. "Our foremost priority now is to make sure the injured receive the best possible medical care without delay."
Golaghat district administration officials have launched a technical inquiry into the mechanical state of the vehicles and the failure of roadside speed checkpoints, while traffic teams work through the evening to reopen the blocked carriage lanes.
| Golaghat District Police |