At least 23 killed as minibus and container truck collide head-on near Kaziranga in Assam

A minibus and a container truck collided head-on at Rongajan in Assam’s Golaghat district on Friday afternoon, November 13, 2026, and at least 23 people were killed, according to police and district officials. Some reports put the toll at 24, and about 20 people were injured, several of them critically. The crash happened on National Highway 715, the road that runs along the edge of Kaziranga National Park.

Police and a state minister have said the early signs point to speed.

What happened on NH 715

The minibus was heading towards Nagaon when the container truck, coming from the opposite direction towards Upper Assam, hit it head-on near Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range. The first reports spoke of 7 and then 12 deaths. A Golaghat executive magistrate later said doctors had confirmed 23 deaths, and officials were still working on identifying the dead. Two of the dead were reported to be women, and several were said to be college students returning from classes.

Injured passengers were first taken to Kohora Model Hospital. Those in a critical condition were referred to hospitals at Bokakhat and Golaghat, and most of the seriously hurt were moved to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital. Golaghat Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka said senior civil and police officials rushed to the spot, and that the count could rise as rescuers recovered more bodies.

What police say caused it

The cause has not been confirmed, but police have named speed. Deka said the bus was running at very high speed and was violating the restrictions imposed near the park. Police suspect the driver lost control of the minibus before the collision. According to reports, the vehicle already had 12 traffic challans against it, totalling ₹38,500, with a further ₹4,000 penalty outstanding.

Cabinet minister Atul Bora, who is also the local MLA, reached the site and helped monitor rescue work and the transport of the injured. He said the bus was speeding and flouting the restrictions imposed in the park area. The district administration is to examine possible violations of speed limits and passenger limits.

The highway runs along the edge of the park, where strict speed limits apply because the road passes through animal corridors. Police say the minibus broke those restrictions.

A toll that kept changing

The figure moved through the evening as bodies were recovered and hospitals reported in. Early reports spoke of 7 dead, then 12, then 20, before the magistrate’s count of 23. Later reports carried 24, and the number of injured is given as between 11 and 20 depending on the hospital count. The number of people on board the minibus had not been established by police, and the names of the dead were still being collected.

Local residents and emergency teams reached the site first and took the injured to Kohora Model Hospital, the nearest facility, before ambulances carried the worst cases onward to Bokakhat, Golaghat and Jorhat.

Reactions

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on X that he was “deeply distressed by the tragic accident in Kaziranga earlier today”. He wrote: “The scale of this loss has shaken all of us, and my heart goes out to every family that has lost a loved one.” He added: “No words can ease their pain, but I want them to know that they are not alone.”

Sarma said the government’s immediate priority was prompt and the best possible medical treatment for the injured, and that the affected families would receive support from the Assam government. No amount of compensation had been announced when this report was written.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed anguish over the loss of lives, offered condolences to the families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Why it matters

India recorded more than 183,000 road deaths in 2025, over 500 a day, according to reports. Official data link many of these to poor road infrastructure, poorly maintained vehicles and driver fatigue. Friday’s crash killed at least 23 people in one afternoon on a stretch where speed restrictions are already in force.

For the families of the dead, the immediate questions are identification, treatment for the injured and compensation. Several of the dead were reported to be college students travelling home from classes.

What happens next

The police investigation will look at the minibus’s speed, its route permit, the number of passengers it was carrying and the repeated challans against it. The district administration’s examination of speed and passenger limits is under way, and the final toll will be settled once all the injured have been accounted for and the dead identified. Officials have yet to announce compensation for the victims’ families, and the Prime Minister’s Office had not issued a statement when this report was written.