26 dead in in minibus accident near Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga (Assam): At least 26 people died, including women and minors, and 20 others were injured in a head-on collision between a minibus and a container truck near Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Friday, November 13, officials said.
Many of the victims were college students who were returning from their classes.
PM Modi announces Rs 2 lakh ex gratia
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah condoled the tragic road accident.
Modi also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of each deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured in the accident, which occurred at Rangajan near Hathikuli Tea Estate in Kohora range on National Highway-715 when the passenger vehicle collided with the truck.
অসমৰ গোলাঘাট জিলাত সংঘটিত দুৰ্ঘটনাত হোৱা প্ৰাণহানিত মৰ্মাহত হৈছো। এই শোকৰ মুহূৰ্তত শোকসন্তপ্ত পৰিয়ালবৰ্গলৈ সমবেদনা জ্ঞাপন কৰিছো। আহতসকলৰ আশু আৰোগ্য কামনা কৰিছো।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 13, 2026
প্ৰধানমন্ত্ৰীৰ ৰাষ্ট্ৰীয় সাহায্য পুঁজি(PMNRF)ৰ পৰা প্ৰতিগৰাকী মৃতকৰ নিকটাত্মীয়ক ২ লাখ টকাকৈ এককালীন সাহায্য প্ৰদান…
“The total number of dead in the accident has increased to 26. Ambulances have taken the people to different hospitals, and we are collecting the data from them,” said Dipam Kumar Barman, a senior doctor at Kohora Model Hospital.
Himanta Biswa to visit Kaziranaga
At an official function in Biswanath earlier, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that at least 24 people lost their lives and college students were among the dead.
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.
Casualties rising as injured in critical state
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.
14 deceased identified
Out of the deceased, 14 people have been identified. Thier names are 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, K R Lobho, Amjad Ali, Bulbul Ali, Baby Karmakar, Damini Ghatowar and Dipanjali Rongphar, 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, but is estimated around 45.
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.
He said that the postmortem will take place at Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat on Saturday during daytime as per the CM’s instructions.
Earlier, an official 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.
Bus was going at a high speed
“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.
Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya expressed profound grief over the tragic road accident which, he said, had shaken the entire state.
The Governor extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones in this mishap and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured in the accident.
In a social media post, the chief minister said he is deeply distressed by the tragic accident in Kaziranga earlier in 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.
I am deeply distressed by the tragic accident in Kaziranga earlier today. 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…
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 13, 2026
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.
Inquiry to determine cause of accident
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 turned into a mangled heap of metal, and the large container truck skidded off the road to the side.
Bus repeatedly attracted fines for speeding
A purported video, which has gone viral, from the dashcam of the truck showed that the minibus was approaching the goods carrier at a high speed, jumped its lane and hit the container truck on the front.
Assam: The exact moment of the Kaziranga Accident between the traveller and the truck that killed 27 passengers.
— aboyob bhuyan (@aboyobbhuyan) November 13, 2026
It is clearly evident that the traveller took the wrong side of the highway at a high speed.
Shockingly, this traveller has 12 challans for traffic violations,… pic.twitter.com/neNF1ugirD
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.
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This content is published by The Siasat Daily and has not been created or edited by Hello Headlines. View original
