Guwahati: At least 12 people were killed in a devastating head-on collision between a truck and a passenger vehicle near Rongajan in Assam’s Kaziranga area on Friday, officials said.
According to preliminary information, the passenger Traveller was on its way from Bokakhat towards Nagaon when it collided with the oncoming truck.
The impact of the collision was severe, leaving the passenger vehicle extensively damaged and trapping several occupants inside.
Most of the passengers travelling in the vehicle were reportedly students, though authorities were yet to release the identities of the victims.
Soon after the accident, 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 said the death toll rose 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 collision has sent shockwaves through the Kaziranga region, with reports suggesting 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 facilitate rescue operations and regulate traffic.
Authorities said further details regarding the victims, including their identities and destinations, would be shared after verification.
More information is awaited as the investigation into one of the region’s worst road accidents in recent months continues.
(IANS)
