In a tragic incident unfolding in the early hours today, seven engineering students lost their lives in a violent road accident near the DCP office in Jalukbari, Guwahati. The victims were all third-semester students from Assam Engineering College.
The accident involved a Mahindra Scorpio, reportedly speeding, and a Bolero pickup van carrying broilers. The impact of the collision was such that it instantly claimed the lives of Kaushik Baruah from Mangaldai, Kaushik Mohan from Sibsagar, Raj Kiran Bhuyan from Majuli, Emon Baruah from Dibrugarh, Arindam Bhowal and Niyor Deka from Guwahati, and Upanshu Sharma from Nagaon.
Three other students, identified as Mrinmay Bora, Arnav Chakraborty, and Arpan Bhuyan, sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment.
The ill-fated Scorpio, bearing the license plate AS-01-FK-9605, was reportedly coming from the Seven Mile direction when it first hit the divider. The impact propelled the vehicle across the divider into the opposing lane, where it collided with the Bolero pick-up, registered under AS-01-GC-8829.
Taking to Twitter, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said – “Extremely anguished by the loss of young and precious lives in the road accident at Jalukbari. My deepest condolences to their parents and families. Have spoken to authorities at GMCH. All possible medical assistance is being provided to those injured.”
He also assured that all the medical assistance will be provided to the injured persons in the fatal accident.
Emergency response teams, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and senior traffic police officers, were quick to arrive at the accident scene. They promptly undertook rescue operations, transferring the deceased and injured to GMCH. The driver and handyman of the Bolero pickup van, among the injured, are reported to be in critical condition.
The aftermath of the incident saw a considerable traffic jam that lasted approximately an hour and a half. Further details of the accident and the status of the ongoing investigation are expected to emerge in the coming hours.
