Daijiworld Media Network - Guwahati
Guwahati, Nov 13: At least 12 people were killed in a devastating head-on collision between a truck and a passenger Traveller near Rongajan in Assam’s Kaziranga area on Friday, officials said.
According to preliminary information, the passenger Traveller was travelling from Bokakhat towards Nagaon when it collided with an oncoming truck. The impact was severe, leaving the passenger vehicle extensively damaged and trapping several occupants inside.
Most of the passengers travelling in the vehicle were reportedly students, although authorities were yet to release the identities of the victims.
Soon after the accident, local residents rushed to the spot and joined police personnel in rescue operations. Emergency teams worked to extricate passengers trapped inside the mangled vehicle.
The injured were shifted to Kohora Model Hospital for immediate medical treatment. The condition of some of the injured was not immediately known.
Officials confirmed that the death toll had risen to 12 as rescue and evacuation operations continued at the accident site.
Police have launched an investigation to ascertain the circumstances that led to the fatal collision. It was not immediately clear whether speeding, poor visibility or any other factor contributed to the accident.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the Kaziranga region, particularly amid reports that a large number of those travelling in the passenger vehicle were young students.
Senior officials were monitoring the situation, while police teams remained deployed at the spot to oversee rescue operations and regulate traffic.
Authorities said further details, including the identities and destinations of the victims, would be shared after verification.
More information is awaited as the investigation into one of the region's deadliest road accidents in recent months continues.