24 killed in bus-truck collission in India

International

A DEVASTATING road collision near one of India’s most renowned wildlife destinations has left at least 24 people dead and 11 injured after a passenger bus crashed into a truck in Assam.

The accident occurred near Kaziranga National Park, a Unesco World Heritage site. The injured were taken to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital for treatment, while authorities have yet to publicly identify those killed.

Assam Rural Development Minister Atul Bora said several of the victims were college students. Citing witness accounts, he said one of the vehicles may have been travelling at high speed before the collision, although the exact cause would only be established after an investigation.

The bus was travelling from Bokakhat towards Nagaon when the crash occurred. Bokakhat serves as a gateway to Kaziranga National Park, famous for its population of one-horned rhinoceroses. Nagaon, located about 120km (74.5 miles) west of Bokakhat by road, is a major agricultural and commercial centre in Assam.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed grief over the incident in a post on X, saying the scale of the tragedy had shaken the state. He also stressed that ensuring the injured received the best possible medical care without delay was the government’s immediate priority.

The collision has also renewed concerns over road safety in the state.

Lurinjyoti Gogoi, leader of a regional opposition party, said road accidents had remained a longstanding concern in Assam and called on the government to address the issue seriously.

“The government must take it up seriously,” he said in q BBC report.

The crash comes amid India’s continuing struggle to reduce road fatalities. A total of 172,000 people died in road accidents across the country in 2023, equivalent to an average of 474 deaths a day, or approximately one every three minutes. The death toll increased to 183,382 in 2025.

Experts have attributed the country’s road safety crisis to a combination of infrastructure deficiencies, unsafe driving behaviour, gaps in law enforcement and systemic neglect.(MyTVCebu)