Key facts
- Golaghat police superintendent Swapnaneel Deka said 23 deaths were confirmed and seven people were referred to hospital.
- Deka said the bus was travelling to a neighbouring district with around 30 people on board.
- The Indian Express reported the minibus was headed to Nagaon from Golaghat and the truck toward Upper Assam.
- Hindustan Times reported the vehicle carried more than 35 people, including students, and the collision occurred around 2:30 p.m.
- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said minister Atul Bora was at the site overseeing relief arrangements.
At least 23 people were killed and several others injured when a container truck collided with a passenger minibus in India's northeastern state of Assam on November 13, 2026, police said. The collision happened on National Highway 715 near the Kohora range of Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its one-horned rhinoceroses.
Swapnaneel Deka, superintendent of police of Golaghat district, told Reuters there were 23 confirmed deaths and that seven people had been referred to hospital. He said the bus was travelling to a neighbouring district with around 30 people on board, and that the truck driver was injured. Deka said it was likely the death toll would increase.
The Indian Express reported that the minibus was headed to Nagaon from Golaghat while the truck was travelling toward Upper Assam, and that the vehicles collided head-on near the Hathikuli Tea Estate. It said more than a dozen injured passengers were taken to hospitals in Jorhat and Golaghat, and that the district administration will hold an inquiry into whether either vehicle broke traffic rules on passenger capacity and speed limits near the park.
Hindustan Times reported that the vehicle was carrying more than 35 people, including students, and that the collision occurred at around 2:30 p.m. It cited Golaghat police superintendent Swapaneel Deka saying the injured were shifted to several hospitals and police were investigating the cause.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X that he was "deeply distressed by the tragic accident" and had sent a senior minister to the site to oversee relief arrangements. "Our foremost priority now is to make sure the injured receive the best possible medical care without delay," he wrote.