Kaziranga Accident: Bihar man among 26 dead, 23 victims identified so far

A 38-year-old man from Bihar is among the 26 people killed in the horrific road accident at Rongajan in Assam’s Kaziranga, with two victims still unidentified, the Golaghat district administration said.

Additional District Commissioner Jintu Bora said 25 bodies had been accounted for, including 14 women and 11 men. He also confirmed that two of the injured people referred to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH) later succumbed to their injuries, taking the overall death toll to 26.

The Bihar victim has been identified as Mohammad Rafiq Ali, son of Sami Ahmed, a resident of Tufanpur in Madhubani district. He was 38 years old.

According to Bora, 23 of the 25 victims whose bodies were accounted for have been identified so far, while two remain unidentified. One of the two patients who died at JMCH is also yet to be identified.

Nine of the victims were from Nagaon district, while one was from Karbi Anglong district, the ADC said.

Post-mortem examinations are scheduled to begin at 6 am on Saturday, November 14, with teams from Jorhat Medical College and Gauhati Medical College working simultaneously. 

The administration has also arranged vehicles to transport the deceased to their respective homes with dignity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the Kaziranga accident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased person. The injured will receive Rs 50,000 each, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a post on X.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed sorrow over the accident, extending his condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and praying for the speedy recovery of those injured.

President Droupadi Murmu also expressed grief over the deaths in the Kaziranga accident. In a post on X, she conveyed her heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident and extended his condolences to the families of the deceased.

In a social media post, he said he was deeply distressed by the tragedy and that the scale of the loss had shaken the state.

"My heart goes out to every family that has lost a loved one. No words can ease their pain, but I want them to know that they are not alone. All of Assam stands with them in this hour of grief," he said.

Sarma said the immediate priority was to ensure that the injured received the best possible medical treatment without delay. He added that Minister Atul Bora was at the site, personally overseeing the relief arrangements.

The Chief Minister also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and strength for the bereaved families.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed grief over the accident, describing the loss of lives as heartbreaking. He extended his condolences to the bereaved families and wished those injured a speedy recovery.