At least 23 people have lost their lives and another seven have been injured this Friday following the violent collision between a truck and a minibus in the Kaziranga area, in the Indian state of Assam. This has been confirmed by local authorities, who have warned that the death toll could rise in the coming hours due to the severity of some of the injured.
The incident occurred when a truck rammed a minibus that was covering the route between Bokakhat and Nagaon with 40 passengers on board. The force of the impact caused severe damage to the passenger vehicle, leaving numerous occupants trapped among the wreckage.
"We have a preliminary report indicating that at least seven people have died on the spot. The bodies are being recovered from the bus, so it is likely that the number of fatalities will increase," Golaghat Police Chief Swapnaneel Deka said, according to statements collected by the Indian chain NDTV.
According to Deka, the initial investigations suggest that the minibus was traveling at high speed and would not have complied with the current limits in the vicinity of Kaziranga National Park. "We believe that the accident occurred when the minibus driver lost control and the vehicle collided with the container-carrying truck," he added.
After the accident, Police officers and local residents immediately went to the scene and began rescue efforts to free the trapped passengers. The injured have been evacuated to the Kohora Model Hospital, where several of them remain in critical condition.
The chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has expressed himself to be "deeply saddened" and has conveyed his "most heartfelt condolences to all the families that have lost a loved one" in the "tragic accident".
"There are no words that can ease their pain, but I want them to know that they are not alone. All of Assam is with them in this moment of mourning," he said in a posting on social media, in which he assured that "the priority now is to ensure that the injured receive the best possible medical care without delay".