Fog-induced vehicle pile-up on Yamuna expressway kills 4, injures 6
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At least four people lost their lives and 66 others were hurt after a massive multi-vehicle pile-up on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura district in the early hours of Tuesday, police officials said.
The crash took place around 4 am on the Agra–Noida stretch of the expressway, reportedly due to extremely poor visibility caused by dense fog. Officials said the accident involved at least seven buses and three cars, and the impact led to a fire.
Fire and emergency services rushed to the scene with 11 fire tenders to douse the flames and rescue passengers who were trapped inside the vehicles. District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh said the collision occurred near milestone 127, within the jurisdiction of Baldev police station.
Senior officials, including the district magistrate and the senior superintendent of police, were present at the site and oversaw rescue operations carried out by teams from the police, fire department, National Highways Authority of India and the State Disaster Response Force, TNIE reported.
Authorities diverted traffic as the expressway remained blocked for several hours. Officials said stranded passengers were later transported to their destinations using government vehicles.
Eyewitnesses recalled hearing loud explosions after the collision and said local residents rushed in to help with rescue efforts. A passenger travelling from Lucknow to Delhi said the bus he was in came to an abrupt stop after crossing Agra, following which passengers broke open jammed doors to help women and children get out.
The incident occurred amid widespread dense fog across Uttar Pradesh and other parts of north India. Officials said several cities, including Agra, Prayagraj, Bareilly and Moradabad, witnessed near-zero visibility on Tuesday morning.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and instructed officials to ensure that the injured received proper medical treatment.
State authorities noted that a series of fog-related road accidents have been reported in recent days. Officials said six accidents involving 31 vehicles were recorded on Monday, while six accidents on Sunday involving 29 vehicles left seven people dead. On Saturday, eight accidents involving 40 vehicles claimed four lives.