Guwahati: The death toll in the minibus-truck collision near Kaziranga National Park in Assam’s Golaghat district rose to 26 on November 13, while 20 others sustained injuries. Women and minors were among those killed, including several college students returning from classes, officials said.

The accident took place at Rangajan, near Hathikuli Tea Estate in the Kohora range, along National Highway 715, when a minibus and a container truck collided head-on. Police said the minibus was travelling from Golaghat towards Nagaon, while the truck was headed to Upper Assam.

The toll increased after some injured passengers died during treatment. Dipam Kumar Barman, a senior doctor at Kohora Model Hospital, confirmed that 26 people had died. He said the injured had been shifted to different hospitals in ambulances and that the hospital was collecting information from those facilities to establish the final figures.

Earlier, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had reported 24 deaths and confirmed that college students were among the victims. He had also said that several critically injured people were being treated at Bokakhat Civil Hospital and Jorhat Medical College and Hospital. Sarma announced that Minister Ranoj Pegu would visit Kaziranga ahead of his own visit to the area on Saturday.

Following the collision, nine ambulances were arranged to transport the injured, an Executive Magistrate in Golaghat district said. While the injured were initially taken to Kohora Model Hospital, those requiring specialised care were referred to hospitals in Bokakhat, Golaghat and Jorhat. Around 20 patients were referred to Jorhat for further treatment, the magistrate added.

Cabinet Minister Atul Bora visited the crash site and monitored the rescue and relief operations. He said he was also visiting hospitals to assess the condition of the injured and review their treatment. Officials had been directed to ensure proper medical care for all patients, he added.

Bora said the postmortems would be conducted at Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat on Saturday, as directed by the Chief Minister.

Authorities have identified 14 of those killed: Jyoti Majhi, Darpana Majhi, Anurag Goala (12), Abdul Mujid, the minibus driver, Subhash, the handyman, Rashid Ali, Hafiza Khatun, Farhana Yasmin, K R Lobho, Amjad Ali, Bulbul Ali, Baby Karmakar, Damini Ghatowar and Dipanjali Rongphar. Efforts are under way to identify the remaining deceased.

Golaghat Senior Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka said senior civil and police officials had reached the accident site to oversee the rescue operation. Police are yet to determine the exact number of passengers in the minibus, although a senior official estimated that it may have been carrying around 45 people.

Initial findings indicate that the minibus was travelling at high speed and may have violated traffic restrictions in force near Kaziranga National Park, the official said. Investigators also suspect that the driver lost control before the minibus struck the container truck.

The collision severely damaged the front of the minibus and pushed the truck off the road. A video reportedly recorded by a dashboard camera inside the truck has circulated on social media.

The footage appears to show the minibus approaching at high speed, entering the truck’s lane and crashing into it. Police are examining the video as part of the investigation.

The Golaghat District Transport Office has found that the minibus had previously received several traffic fines, including for overspeeding.

An official said the vehicle was registered to Anjir Ali of Nagaon and had been fined Rs 4,000 in Jorhat on March 3 for allegedly travelling at 102 kmph. It had also received multiple overspeeding fines in the Kaziranga area, some of which were reportedly unpaid.

The district administration has ordered a detailed inquiry to establish the cause of the collision and determine whether either vehicle violated traffic rules governing speed limits and passenger capacity.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced financial assistance under the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the families of those killed and the injured. The next of kin of each deceased person will receive Rs 2 lakh, while those injured will be given Rs 50,000.