By Friday evening, the count of dead from the crash near Kaziranga had gone up several times. Early reports said seven, then 12. Most agencies settled on 23, PTI later said 24, and The Economic Times and ETV Bharat reported 26 and 25. Officials say it may climb further.
The collision took place in the afternoon in Golaghat district. A minibus heading from Golaghat toward Nagaon met a container truck going toward Upper Assam. The front of the minibus was crushed, and the truck ended up off the road.
Golaghat’s senior superintendent of police, Swapnaneel Deka, told PTI it looks as though the minibus driver lost control. The truck driver survived with injuries. An executive magistrate told reporters at the scene that the toll was rising fast because many of the injured were in a critical state.
Many of the people on the minibus were college students returning from class. Sarma confirmed this at an event in Biswanath, calling it a very tragic accident. Police said two women and a minor were among the dead. Names had not been released at the time of writing, and officials have not said how many of the 20 injured are in intensive care.
An official at the Golaghat District Transport Office told PTI that the minibus had been fined for overspeeding several times before. NDTV and The Times of India carried headlines saying it was moving at very high speed. Police have not confirmed that, and the cause is still under investigation.
Sarma said minister Atul Bora was at the site overseeing relief and that treating the injured was the first priority. PTI reported that minister Ranoj Pegu would also go there. Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said he was deeply pained.
The Economic Times reported that the Prime Minister announced ₹2 lakh for the families of the dead, and ETV Bharat reported condolences from the President as well. Student groups AASU and Asom Sena offered to donate blood, Pratidin Time reported. Akhil Gogoi demanded ₹25 lakh for each victim’s family and pointed to the poor condition of the road, India Today Northeast reported.
The next step is the chief minister’s visit on Saturday.
