Five members of a Bihu performance team, including four teenagers, died on the spot and several others were left seriously injured in Assam’s Gohpur when the Bolero Pickup van they were travelling in turtle on the highway on Saturday.
The incident took place as the team was returning after their performance. Those who are injured have been shifted to Tezpur Medical College Hosptial.
Expressing pain over the deaths, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to Twitter to convey his condolences to the bereaved families. The deceased have been identified as Sanjay Basumatary (17), Koliman Basumatary (21), Bornali Boro (15), Budhimoti Boro (14) and Radhika Daimary (15).
“The victims were on their way home from a Bihu function. Five injured have been shifted to Gohpur Civil Hospital & Catholic Hospital at Borgang. Have asked the administration to monitor the situation and provide the injured all necessary help. I pray for their speedy recovery,” Sarma said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also expressed grief over the accident. “I am saddened by the loss of lives due to a road accident in Biswanath district of Assam. Condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest,” he said.
The northeastern states on Friday celebrated Rongali Bihu and Poila Boishakh with traditional fervour and enthusiasm.
Lakhs of cheerful men, women and children in traditional and new attires took part in Bihu and Poila Boishakh celebrations, mostly in five of the eight northeastern states — Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.
People in Assam and other northeastern states were gripped in the spirit of Rongali or Bohag Bihu, the beginning of the Assamese New Year, giving a glimpse of the pre-pandemic festive fervour.
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