Guwahati: At least 20 people are feared dead after a container truck collided head-on with a mini-bus in Assam’s Kaziranga on Friday (November 13). Most of those travelling in the mini-bus were reportedly students.
The accident took place on National Highway 715 at Rangajan, near Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range. The mini-bus was travelling from Bokakhat towards Nagaon when the container truck hit it, leaving the vehicle badly mangled.
Several passengers were feared trapped inside the damaged mini-bus following the collision. Local residents and police personnel rushed to the spot and joined the rescue operation.
The injured were taken to Kohora Model Hospital for treatment. Those in critical condition were later referred to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital.
Rescue Operation Underway, Death Toll Yet To Be Confirmed
Rescue teams are continuing efforts to retrieve passengers from the damaged vehicle. The casualty figure has not yet been officially confirmed, and the number of deaths could change as the operation progresses.
Earlier, Golaghat Senior Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka said that the police had received a preliminary report of at least seven deaths. He added that bodies were still being retrieved from the vehicle and the toll was likely to rise.
Assam Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Atul Bora, who is also the local MLA, reached the accident site and supervised the rescue operation.
Bora suggested that the mini-bus may have been travelling at high speed and violating traffic restrictions imposed near the national park.
“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,” he said.
The exact cause of the collision is yet to be established.