Kaziranga road accident: toll rises to 26 in Assam as minibus with overspeeding fines hit container truck

The Kaziranga road accident death toll rose to 26 on Saturday 14 November after a woman died at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, Pratidin Time reported. A minibus and a container truck collided head-on on National Highway 715 at Rangajan in Assam’s Golaghat district on Friday 13 November, near Kaziranga National Park.

What happened in the Kaziranga road accident

The crash took place near Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range, a senior officer told PTI, according to The Week. The front of the minibus was reduced to a mangled heap of metal, and the container truck skidded off the road. Nineteen injured people were first sent to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, and two of them later died, ANI reported. Around 20 people were injured in all, Pratidin Time said.

Death toll and identification in Golaghat

“We have just received another update from Jorhat Medical College; the total number of deaths has now reached 26,” Jintu Bora, Additional District Commissioner of Golaghat, told ANI. On Friday he had put the toll at 25, made up of 14 women and 11 men.

Hospital authorities have identified 24 of the 26 dead, Pratidin Time said. A man and a woman remain unidentified. Eleven of the identified dead belonged to Golaghat district, and the victims include students, local residents and commuters, besides one passenger from Bihar. Doctors from Gauhati Medical College and Hospital and Jorhat Medical College began post-mortem examinations early on Saturday at Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat.

Key numbers

• 26: deaths so far, per ANI via Awaz The Voice.
• Around 20: people injured, per Pratidin Time.
• 24 of 26: dead identified so far, per Pratidin Time.
• Rs 4,000: the fine the minibus received in Jorhat on 3 March for driving at 102 kmph, per The Week.

Overspeeding fines and the inquiry

An official said the minibus was running at “very high speed” and broke restrictions imposed near the national park, The Week reported. “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 told PTI.

An official of the Golaghat District Transport Office said the minibus had repeatedly drawn penalties before. “The vehicle had also received multiple overspeeding fines in Kaziranga, and several fines are pending,” he said. A thorough enquiry will examine whether either vehicle broke traffic norms, such as carrying more passengers than the seating capacity or exceeding the speed limit.

Himanta Biswa Sarma’s response

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X: “The scale of this loss has shaken all of us, and my heart goes out to every family that has lost a loved one.” He added that he would visit the site the next morning to meet affected families, ANI reported. Another road crash is covered in our report on the Fujairah pile-up.

What happens next for the Kaziranga road accident

Post-mortem examinations were still under way on Saturday, and two victims were yet to be identified. No date has been given for the inquiry’s findings. More national coverage is on our India page.