NEW DELHI: A head-on collision between a container truck and a passenger bus killed 23 people, including three children, in India’s Assam state on Friday.

The crash took place on a highway bordering Kaziranga National Park in the northeastern state.

The road is a designated animal corridor, where strict speed limits are in place.

“The total number of casualties is 23,” said Swapneel Deka, the district’s police chief.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he was “deeply distressed by the tragic accident”.

“The scale of this loss has shaken all of us, and my heart goes out to every family that has lost a loved one,” Sarma said on X.

India, with a population of 1.4 billion, recorded more than 183,000 road traffic deaths last year, or over 500 a day, according to the roads ministry.

Many accidents are linked to inadequate road infrastructure, poorly maintained vehicles and exhausted drivers, according to official data.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2026