Guwahati: The driver of the minibus may have lost control of the vehicle, with his health being a possible cause, before Friday’s Kaziranga crash, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, adding that the exact cause would only be clear after a probe.The crash, involving a minibus and a container truck near Kaziranga, killed 26 people.Speaking after visiting the site on NH-715 at Rangajan, Sarma said the prima facie cause appeared to be the driver losing control of the steering wheel. He said only a complete investigation could establish the cause.“I would like to reiterate one particular aspect of this incident — what could have been the driver’s mental or medical condition at the time? We can certainly accept that he was carrying excess passengers. The vehicle was meant to accommodate 26 people, but he reportedly carried around 41 passengers. That is certainly a criminal offence by itself,” Sarma said.Referring to footage from the container truck’s dashcam, Sarma said, “However, looking at the manner in which the vehicle crashed, I suspect there could have been a medical emergency. Dr Ranoj Pegu (cabinet minister accompanying him) has also prima facie suggested that the driver may have suffered a heart attack or stroke, causing him to lose control of the vehicle.”Sarma said a specialist doctor should conduct the driver’s autopsy to establish the circumstances.He announced Rs 5 lakh from the CM’s Relief Fund for each victim’s family. State Disaster Management Authority will provide Rs 2 lakh, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced another Rs 2 lakh.“Ministers will hand it over at the families’ homes,” he said, adding that no amount of money can compensate for such a loss.Sarma said he would visit every bereaved family in the next two to three days.Sarma said traffic restrictions had been relaxed across the state after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections because of political pressure. “Even then, I felt we should not have allowed such relaxations,” he said.He said strict rules would be enforced “because people’s lives come first” and directed police and district administrations to step up road-safety awareness and enforcement.
