23 dead as minibus and container truck collide head-on near Kaziranga in Golaghat

At least 23 people died on Friday, November 13, 2026, when a minibus and a container truck met head-on on National Highway 715 near Kaziranga National Park in Assam's Golaghat district. Many others were hurt, several of them seriously. Police have said the toll may go up further.

The crash happened in the Rangajan area, close to Hatikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range. The vehicle was a tempo traveller-type minibus. According to local police and the administration, it was going from Bokakhat towards Nagaon when it hit the container truck coming the other way. Both vehicles were badly crushed, and many passengers were trapped in the wreckage.

Residents and police reached the spot soon after and began rescue work. Gas cutters and other equipment were used to get bodies and survivors out of the twisted metal. Early reports spoke of 7 dead, but the number climbed to 23 as rescue and treatment went on. Golaghat Senior Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka gave the figure of 23 on the basis of preliminary information, while teams were still working on the bus. Golaghat Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Phukan said the injured had been moved to a nearby hospital.

More than 35 people were on the bus, and most are believed to have been young, many of them students. Initial information suggests a large share of the dead were students. The police could not immediately say how many passengers were aboard when they first spoke.

The injured were first treated at Kohora Model Hospital. Those in critical condition were sent on to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital for advanced care. Atul Bora, the state's Panchayat and Rural Development Minister and the local MLA, went to the site on hearing the news and reviewed the relief and rescue operation.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he was deeply pained and shocked by the accident. He offered condolences to the bereaved families and said the whole of Assam stood with them in this hour of grief. He said the government's first priority was to make sure the injured get the best treatment without delay, and he prayed for their quick recovery and for strength for the families who have lost loved ones.

On the cause, SSP Deka said the minibus was moving at high speed. Police initially suspect it broke the speed limit that applies in the Kaziranga park stretch, and that the driver may have lost control and then rammed into the oncoming truck. An inquiry found that the minibus had already been fined 12 times for various traffic violations. No official confirmation of the cause has been issued, and police say the exact reason is not yet clear. The investigation continues.