Tragic Road Accident Near Kaziranga: Eyewitness Accounts of Rescue Efforts
Devastating Incident at Kaziranga
People gather at the accident site near Kaziranga National Park on Friday. (Photo:PTI)
Guwahati, Nov 14: The scene following the tragic road accident near Kaziranga was filled with cries for help, thick smoke rising from a wrecked vehicle, and frantic efforts to rescue those trapped inside.
Amrit Pawri, a temporary worker with the electricity board, was one of the first responders to arrive at the scene.
He recounted that he and his colleague, Bikash Karmakar, were engaged in tree-trimming along the road to clear branches obstructing power lines when they noticed a traveler vehicle pass by.
“We were on a motorcycle when we saw the traveler pass us and stop a little ahead to pick up a woman and a child. I thought we would let it go ahead and overtake it after a few kilometers,” Pawri shared.
Just moments later, a loud crash echoed nearby. “When we rushed towards the spot, there was smoke everywhere, and people were screaming. We immediately started rescuing those trapped inside,” he added.
Pawri described how they broke the vehicle’s windows to extract passengers from the wreckage.
They also organized available transport, including e-rickshaws, to transport the injured to Kohora Model Hospital.
“There was smoke everywhere, and people were screaming. We broke the windows and pulled passengers out. We arranged whatever transport was available, including e-rickshaws, to take the injured to Kohora Model Hospital,” he reiterated.
Reflecting on the tragedy, Pawri mentioned that he personally retrieved nine bodies from the wreckage, while many others were in critical condition.
He also recalled the desperate attempts to free a woman trapped beneath a dislodged seat. “One of the seats had come loose, and a woman was trapped underneath it. She was crying out for help. We had to break apart the seat to get her out,” he explained.
However, concerns arose regarding the medical facilities at Kohora Model Hospital, where many injured individuals were taken. Pawri noted that the hospital was not equipped to handle such a large-scale emergency, complicating the immediate care for those injured in the accident.
This account highlights not only the urgency of the rescue efforts at the accident site but also the significant challenges faced by first responders and medical facilities during major road tragedies.