At least 12 people, including three children and five women, were killed when the bus they were travelling in collided head-on with a coal-laden truck at Balijan near Dergaon in eastern Assam’s Golaghat district on Wednesday, January 3.
Among the dead were the drivers of the bus and the truck.
The accident happened on a diverted stretch of National Highway 37 at about 5 a.m. The spot is about 280 km east of Guwahati.
The bus had 49 people on board, 38 of whom were injured. District officials said 31 people were admitted to the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, about 25 km west of the spot, in a serious condition.
A local police constable said poor visibility due to foggy conditions could have led to the collision between the two heavy vehicles that were presumably moving at high speed.
The bus was carrying passengers from Kamarbandha near Golaghat town and was headed toward Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts further east. The destination of the truck was unknown.
Assam’s Transport Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, who had recently concluded a month-long motorcycle rally across Assam to generate awareness on road safety, said a probe has been ordered and a complaint would be lodged against the highway contractor for the poor construction of the road.
“We are investigating the cause of the accident. We will know more about the cause of the accident after the police and the authorities concerned complete the probe,” Golaghat’s District Commissioner, P. Uday Praveen said.
“We recently had a meeting with road safety experts from New Delhi and officials of the NHIDCL (National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited) assured us that proper signage and other rectification work on the highway will be completed within a month,” he added.
Hours after the mishap, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of each of the deceased and ₹50,000 for each injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
“Pained by the loss of lives due to a road mishap in Golaghat, Assam. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected,” Mr. Modi posted on X.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed anguish over the accident and offered his condolences to the families of those killed.
“The local administration is providing all necessary support to the injured in this difficult hour. Prayers for their swift recovery,” he said in a post on social media platforms.
