By Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : As many as 12 people have lost their lives and 22 seriously injured in a tragic road accident at Demow in Assam’s Sivasagar district early in the morning on Monday.The road accident took place at Thawra Bridge in Demow along National Highway 37. The accident took place when an Ultra bus bearing registration number AS-05-C-5999 collided head on with a Traveller bearing registration number AS-23-BC-6878.The bus was on way to Dibrugarh, while the Traveller was on its way to Jorhat from Tinsukia. The locals of the region rushed the injured to nearby Demow Model Hospital. Six of the wounded succumbed to their injuries. Eight other injured passengers have been rushed to Dibrugarh Medical College and Hospital, and seven of them are said to be in ‘critical’ condition.The driver of the bus managed to escape unhurt.

The locals mentioned that both the vehicles were at high speed despite the incessant rain. The Traveller was thrown off-road to a deep gorge near the roadside and got completely damaged. It is to be mentioned that as per the police reports, the number of deaths may increase looking at the critical condition of the passengers.The Ultra bus bore registration number AS-05-C-5999 and the Traveller had the registration number AS-23-BC-6878. The impact was so massive that the Traveller vehicle was thrown off-road to a deep gorge on the roadside. It is learnt that both the vehicles were at high speed despite the incessant rain. The driver of the Ultra bus had, however, escaped from the scene of the accident immediately after the incident. Meanwhile, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has ordered an inquiry . Sonowal has expressed grief over the tragic accident. Sonowal has also prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls. The chief minister also directed the Sivasagar district administration to provide urgent medical attention to those injured in the accident.