On November 13, 2026, what began as an ordinary journey turned into a nightmare for dozens of travelers on NH 715 national highway in Assam, India. A minibus carrying more than 35 passengers, mostly college students, collided head-on with a container truck near the famed Kaziranga National Park. The violent impact instantly claimed 23 lives, with many victims trapped in the mangled wreckage of the minibus, which was completely crushed in the collision.
Emergency responders and local police rushed to the scene near Rongajan, working frantically to extract survivors from the debris. The scale of the tragedy was immediately apparent as rescue teams pulled body after body from the twisted metal. "The number of deaths may increase," warned Golaghat Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka, who was among the first officials to arrive at the accident site. The grim assessment underscored the severity of the crash and the challenges faced by rescuers.
The 23 confirmed fatalities included a majority of the passengers, many of whom were students—young lives cut short in an instant. The minibus was traveling from Bokakhat to Nagaon when the collision occurred, carrying a group of students on what was presumably a routine trip.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed profound shock and sorrow over the tragedy.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the minibus was traveling at excessive speed in a restricted area near the national park. "The van was speeding in a restricted area near the national park, which caused the accident," stated Swapnaneel Deka, pointing to clear evidence of reckless driving.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed profound shock and sorrow over the tragedy. "I am deeply distressed by the tragic accident in Kaziranga earlier today," he stated in a formal address. "The scale of this loss has shaken all of us, and my heart goes out to every family that has lost a loved one." The Chief Minister offered condolences to the victims' families and directed authorities to provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured, who were initially taken to Kohora Model Hospital before being transferred to Jorhat Medical College Hospital for specialized care.
As the community grappled with the aftermath, Minister Atul Bora was dispatched to oversee relief efforts at the accident site. Police continued their investigation, focusing on determining the exact sequence of events that led to the collision. Early reports confirmed that the minibus's excessive speed in a restricted zone was the primary cause of the fatal crash.
The Kaziranga accident has once again brought India's road safety crisis into sharp focus. With 23 lives lost—many of them students—the tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the human cost when safety protocols are ignored. As authorities piece together the final moments of those aboard the minibus, the families of the victims begin the long process of mourning, forever changed by a journey that ended in unimaginable loss.
