Kaziranga (Assam): At least 24 people died, including two women and a minor, and 20 others were injured in a head-on collision between a minibus and a container truck near Kaziranga National Park in Assam Friday, officials said.
Many of the victims were college students who were returning from their classes.
The accident occurred at Rangajan near Hathikuli Tea Estate in Kohora range on National Highway-715 when the passenger vehicle collided with the truck, a senior officer said.
“A very tragic accident took place near Kaziranga National Park in the afternoon. According to information received so far, 24 people have lost their lives. College students are among the dead,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said during an official programme at Biswanath.
Several critically injured people are being treated at Bokakhat Civil Hospital and Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, he added.
“Minister Ranoj Pegu will soon visit Kaziranga, and I will also go tomorrow,” Sarma said.
Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Atul Bora is already at the accident site and overseeing the relief arrangements.
Earlier, an Executive Magistrate of Golaghat district told reporters here that the death toll was rising very fast as many of the injured are critical.
“Already nine ambulances have been operating to ferry the injured people. Doctors here have referred 20 people to Jorhat for advanced treatment,” he added.
Out of the deceased, eight people have been identified as Jyoti Majhi, Darpana Majhi, Anurag Goala (a 12-year-old boy), Abdul Mujid (driver of the minibus), Subhash (handyman of the minibus), Rashid Ali, Hafiza Khatun and Farhana Yasmin, he added.
The minibus was going from Golaghat to Nagaon, while the container truck was going towards Upper Assam, police said.
Earlier, Golaghat Senior Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka told PTI that all senior civil and police officials have reached the spot to help rescue the people.
He said that the exact number of people travelling in the bus is not immediately known.
Minister Bora, who is also the local MLA, was supervising the relief and rescue operations.
“Deeply saddened by this heartbreaking incident… I am now visiting the hospitals to assess the condition of the injured and review the medical care being provided to them. Necessary instructions have been issued to ensure that all injured persons receive the best possible treatment,” he said.
In a social media post, Bora said he spoke to the CM about the accident.
“The postmortem will take place at Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat tomorrow during daytime as per the CM’s instructions,” he added.
Earlier reports had said the autopsies could take place at night.
The injured people were initially taken to the Kohora Model Hospital, and most of the critically injured were referred to civil hospitals in Bokakhat and Golaghat, and the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, another senior official said.
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“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 added.
In a social media post, the Chief Minister said he is deeply distressed by the tragic accident in Kaziranga earlier during the day.
“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,” he added.
Sarma said the foremost priority now is ensuring the injured receive the best possible medical care without delay.
“I pray for the swift recovery of the injured and for strength for the bereaved families,” he added.
The Golaghat district administration official further said that a thorough enquiry will be instituted to find out how the accident took place and if the two or any of the vehicles violated traffic norms, such as ferrying more passengers than the seating capacity and exceeding the speed limit near Kaziranga National Park.
The impact of the accident was so huge that the front side of the minibus has turned into a mangled heap of metal and the large container truck skidded off the road to the side.
It is revealed that the involved minibus was a habitual offender and had repeatedly attracted traffic fines for overspeeding in the past, an official of the Golaghat District Transport Office said.
“The vehicle was registered in the name of Anjir Ali of Nagaon. It was fined Rs 4,000 in Jorhat on March 3 for driving at a speed of 102 kmph. The vehicle had also received multiple overspeeding fines in Kaziranga, and several fines are pending,” he added.
