The Kaziranga crash that killed 26 people on Friday is being investigated for possible driver health issues, loss of vehicle control and severe passenger overloading, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after visiting the site on National Highway 715 at Rangajan.
The crash involved a minibus and a container truck near Kaziranga. Sarma said the prima facie indication was that the minibus driver lost control of the steering wheel, but stressed that the exact cause would be known only after a complete investigation.
The chief minister said the driver’s medical or mental condition at the time of the crash would be examined. Referring to footage from the container truck’s dashcam, he said the manner in which the minibus crashed raised the possibility of a medical emergency. Assam cabinet minister Ranoj Pegu had also suggested that the driver may have suffered a heart attack or stroke, Sarma said.
Sarma directed that a specialist doctor conduct the driver’s autopsy to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash. The official investigation is expected to examine the vehicle’s movement, the driver’s condition and other factors before determining responsibility for the deaths.
The minibus was designed to accommodate 26 people but was reportedly carrying around 41 passengers, according to Sarma. He described the excess passenger load as a criminal offence. The statement places passenger overloading alongside driver fitness and vehicle control as central lines of inquiry in the crash.
The state government announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh from the chief minister’s Relief Fund for each victim’s family. The State Disaster Management Authority will provide an additional Rs 2 lakh, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced another Rs 2 lakh. Sarma said ministers would deliver the assistance at the families’ homes and that he would visit each bereaved family over the next two to three days.
The chief minister also linked the crash to wider enforcement concerns. He said traffic restrictions across Assam had been relaxed after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections because of political pressure, although he had felt the relaxations should not have been allowed. He directed police and district administrations to strengthen road-safety awareness and enforcement across the state.
Sarma said stricter rules would now be enforced because public safety had to take priority. The investigation, the specialist autopsy and the enforcement measures ordered by the state will determine how the authorities establish the causes of the crash and respond to the road-safety failures identified at the site.
