Family of each deceased in minibus-truck collision to get ₹9 lakh ex gratia: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma interacts with police officials while inspecting the road accident site after twenty-six people died in the Rongajaan area near Kaziranga, Koliabar, in Nagaon. | Photo Credit: ANI Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday (November 14, 2026) said the next of kin of each person who died in the minibus-truck collision in Kaziranga a day earlier would receive ₹9 lakh as ex gratia. The amount includes the ₹2 lakh announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Sarma said, after visiting the accident site on NH-715 at Rangajan.Twenty-six people died in the head-on collision between the two vehicles near Kaziranga National Park on Friday (November 13, 2026). Many of the victims were college students returning from classes when the accident occurred.“An ex gratia of ₹5 lakh will be given to the family of each deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, ₹2 lakh from the State Disaster Management Authority and ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister,” Mr. Sarma told reporters. He said Ministers would hand over the amount to the families at their homes, after the bodies arrive following post-mortem examinations.“No amount of money can compensate such a loss, especially for families who have lost more than one member,” he said. He called what had happened “heartbreaking”.“My thoughts and prayers are with every family who lost a loved one, and the Assam government stands with you at this painful time,” he said. Mr. Sarma said he would personally visit the home of every bereaved family in the next two to three days.Steps had been taken to complete the post-mortem examinations on Saturday, he said. The government was ensuring that the injured got special medical care at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital and other facilities, and additional doctors from Guwahati and other hospitals had been sent so that post-mortem examinations were completed quickly and the injured got the best possible care. A detailed investigation was under way, he said. “We will look at every possible cause behind this tragedy.”“I admit that some traffic restrictions were relaxed at the Nalbari Cabinet meeting because of political pressure. Even then, I felt we should not have allowed such relaxations,” he said. The Chief Minister said strict traffic rules would be enforced because people’s lives come first. He directed the police and the district administration to intensify road safety awareness and enforcement.Earlier, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, who was deputed by the Chief Minister to visit the accident site and the hospitals where the injured are being treated, said 18 injured were under treatment, seven of them in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, in critical condition.The other 11 admitted at the two hospitals were stable, he said, adding that the State government would bear all treatment costs and would make arrangements if any of the injured needed to be shifted to specialised hospitals.Doctors from the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital and the Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, had reached Jorhat and Golaghat to assist in treating the injured and conducting post-mortem examinations. The post-mortem examinations were being conducted at Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat, after which ambulances would take the bodies to their residences, he said.The Golaghat district authorities said on Friday that a thorough inquiry would be conducted to determine how the accident occurred and whether either or both of the vehicles violated traffic norms. Speed restrictions are enforced along the entire stretch of the 60-km highway, with a maximum limit of 20 km/hour along the identified animal corridors, with speed-monitoring cameras installed at regular intervals. A forensic team from Guwahati has reached the site to collect evidence.The minibus was going from Golaghat to Nagaon, while the container truck was going from Tezpur to Dibrugarh. The truck driver, who received minor injuries, claimed the minibus switched lanes and swerved towards his side, hitting the vehicle at very high speed. Both the minibus driver and the handyman died on the spot. Published - November 14, 2026 06:18 pm IST