26 killed, 20 injured as minibus collides with container truck near Kaziranga in India's Assam; dashcam shows minibus speeding into oncoming lane

Twenty-six people have been killed and 20 others injured after a passenger minibus collided head-on with a container truck on a highway near Kaziranga National Park in the northeastern Indian state of Assam on Friday, November 13. Several children and the bus driver were among the dead.

The crash happened at Rangajan near the Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range, on National Highway 715 in Golaghat district, about 225 kilometres east of the state capital, Dispur. The minibus was carrying about 30 people and travelling to a neighbouring district. The Associated Press and Reuters initially reported at least 24 dead, citing police; hospital authorities later confirmed the toll at 26.

Preliminary findings point to speeding; toll likely to rise

Golaghat Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka told Reuters the death toll was likely to increase. He told the Press Trust of India that the preliminary investigation pointed to rash driving: the minibus was travelling at very high speed in a restricted stretch near the park when the driver lost control and hit the truck. Rescue teams were still working at the scene.

Chief minister expresses grief; one of Assam's worst crashes

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on X that he was deeply distressed by the tragic accident. State minister Atul Bora described the crash as one of the worst in Assam's history, adding that police were investigating the cause. Kaziranga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its one-horned rhinoceroses.

(File photo: a one-horned rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park, not the crash site. Image: Safari Obsessions)

Updated on the afternoon of November 13: toll rises to 26 as dashcam shows minibus speeding into the oncoming lane

The death toll has been confirmed at 26, with 20 others injured. Dashcam footage from the container truck shows the minibus approaching at high speed, jumping its lane and crashing head-on into the truck. Police estimated about 45 people were on board. A Golaghat district transport official told the Press Trust of India the minibus had a history of repeated speeding violations in the Kaziranga corridor; it was fined 4,000 rupees in Jorhat on March 3 for travelling at 102 km/h, and several fines are pending.

Fourteen of the dead have been identified, including 12-year-old Anurag Goala, minibus driver Abdul Mujid and handyman Subhash; postmortems will be held on Saturday at the Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat. Twenty critically injured patients have been referred to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia payment of 200,000 rupees to the next of kin of each person killed and 50,000 rupees to each injured person; President Droupadi Murmu, the vice-president and the home minister also expressed grief. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he would visit the site on Saturday morning.