26 killed as minibus and container collide head-on in Assam:College students among victims; rescue teams cut vehicle open; bus had received 12 traffic challans

At least 26 people were killed and several others were injured in a head-on collision between a minibus and a container truck near Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Friday, officials said. Among those killed were two women, while many of the victims were college students returning from their classes, a police officer said. The accident took place at Rangajan, near Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range, along National Highway 715, when the passenger vehicle collided with the container truck, a senior police officer said. Golaghat Senior Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka told PTI that the initial report confirmed at least seven fatalities. “We have got a preliminary report that at least seven people were killed in the accident. We are all at the spot, and bodies are being retrieved from the bus, so the number of deaths is likely to rise,” he said.
Police say bus was speeding before collision Golaghat Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Swapnil Deka told PTI that the mini-bus was travelling from Bokakhat to Nagaon when the accident occurred. Preliminary investigations suggest that the bus was speeding and its driver lost control before it collided with an oncoming container truck, Deka said. The injured passengers were taken to Kohora Model Hospital, while those in critical condition were referred to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital for further treatment. PM announces relief for victims PM Narendra Modi expresses grief over the loss of lives in a road accident in the Golaghat district of Assam. PM announces an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Visuals from the accident Vehicle had received 12 challans, ₹4,000 fine pending Local media reports said the mini-bus had received 12 traffic challans, against which fines totalling ₹38,500 had been paid. However, a penalty of ₹4,000 was still pending. In Assam, commercial vehicles are fined ₹4,000 for overspeeding. Over 15,000 people killed in road accidents in Assam in five years Government data shows that 15,306 people were killed in road accidents in Assam between 2020 and 2024. The state recorded 3,351 road accident deaths in 2024, the highest during the five-year period. A total of 3,296 people were killed in road accidents in 2023, while 2,994 fatalities were reported in 2022. Data for the period after 2024 is not yet available. ​