Five people were killed in Assam’s Sonitpur district after a Maruti Suzuki Eeco van collided head-on with a truck on National Highway 15, police said on Saturday.
The accident took place at around 11:30 pm on Friday in the Balipara area under Rangapara Police Station.
According to police, the Eeco was travelling from Tezpur towards Rangapara when it collided with the truck coming from the opposite direction. Two of the victims died on the spot, while three others succumbed to their injuries during treatment.
Sonitpur SSP Barun Purkayastha said police reached the spot after receiving information about the accident and found the five occupants critically injured.
The deceased have been identified as: Harobinda Hazoary, 38, resident of Batabari, under Rangapara Police Station. Pranjal Bania, 39, resident of Batabari, under Rangapara Police Station. Sanjay Mech, 39, resident of Batabari, under Rangapara Police Station. Papu Borah, 45, resident of Batabari, under Rangapara Police Station. Nayan Swargiary, 45, resident of Batabari, under Rangapara Police Station.
All five were residents of Batabari and were travelling together in the Eeco van. Initial investigation suggests that the Eeco lost control and crossed into the opposite lane before crashing into the truck. Police are investigating the exact circumstances that led to the collision.
The truck driver has reportedly fled the spot and efforts are underway to trace him. Locals who witnessed the accident said both vehicles were travelling at high speed at the time of the collision. The impact was reportedly so intense that the sound of the crash could be heard from nearby houses.
Both vehicles have been taken into custody and further investigation is underway. The bodies have been sent to Sonitpur Civil Hospital for postmortem examination, while the families of the deceased have been informed.
The accident comes days after another major road crash in Assam’s Kamrup Metropolitan district, where seven people were killed and five others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a goods truck on NH-27 on August 31.
Following that accident, locals had protested over the condition of the highway and alleged that potholes were contributing to frequent crashes.
Kamrup Metropolitan Deputy Commissioner Swapneel Paul subsequently directed the National Highways Authority of India to repair potholes along the Khanapara-Sonapur stretch.The latest fatal crash has once again raised concerns over road safety and speeding on Assam’s highways.