WEB DESK: At least 23 people were killed and several others injured when a container truck collided with a bus in India’s northeastern state of Assam, police said.
The crash occurred on a highway near Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its one-horned rhinoceroses.
Swapnaneel Deka, superintendent of police in Golaghat district, where Kaziranga is located, told Reuters that 23 deaths had been confirmed and seven people had been referred to hospital. He warned that the death toll could rise.
The bus was travelling to a neighbouring district with around 30 people on board, Deka said. The truck driver was also injured.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X that he was deeply distressed by the accident and had sent a senior minister to the scene to oversee relief efforts.
He said the immediate priority was to ensure that those injured received the best possible medical care without delay.
