Lucknow: Dense fog continued to cripple road traffic across Uttar Pradesh, triggering a series of deadly accidents that claimed at least 21 lives and left scores injured. Major mishaps were reported from Mathura, Unnao and Basti as visibility dropped to near zero on highways during the night and early morning hours.
The worst accident occurred on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura district, where multiple vehicles collided in dense fog, killing 13 people. The first crash took place around 2 am on the Agra to Noida carriageway near the Baldev police station area. Seven buses and two cars rammed into each other at high speed, following which some vehicles caught fire.
Several passengers were trapped inside the vehicles, while others jumped out to save their lives. Initially, 10 deaths were confirmed and more than two dozen injured were rushed to hospitals. By evening, the death toll rose to 13.
The situation worsened a little later when another major collision was reported around 3.30 am near the 127 km milestone, again under Baldev police station limits. In this incident, 10 people were killed and over 80 passengers were injured. Divisional Commissioner Shailendra Kumar Singh said four bodies had been identified, while efforts were on to ascertain the identities of the remaining victims.
Eyewitnesses said visibility at the time of the accidents was almost zero due to dense fog. One after another, seven buses and three cars collided, leading to massive pile-ups. The impact triggered fires in several vehicles, causing panic among passengers.
The injured were taken to the district hospital in Mathura and the 100-bed hospital in Vrindavan. Critically injured passengers were referred to SN Medical College in Agra. Officials said 38 injured were undergoing treatment at the district hospital, while 39 others were admitted to the Baldev Community Health Centre.
Aman Yadav, a resident of Kanpur, said he was travelling with friends by car to visit the Banke Bihari temple when the accident occurred. He said the visibility was extremely poor and suddenly another vehicle hit their car, after which several vehicles crashed into each other.
Nasima, a resident of Hamirpur, said she was travelling with her husband to Panipat for work when their bus collided with another bus. She said the bus caught fire soon after the impact. While she managed to escape, her husband sustained serious injuries.
The accidents led to long traffic jams on the Yamuna Expressway in the Agra to Noida direction. Traffic police later cleared the stretch by diverting vehicles through alternative routes. Mathura District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh said police, fire brigade and State Disaster Response Force teams completed rescue operations within six hours and traffic was restored after debris was removed.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incidents and directed officials to provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased and ensure proper medical treatment for the injured.
In another accident, a Fortuner car travelling at around 100 kmph on the Agra Lucknow Expressway overturned after hitting a boulder placed on an airstrip near Bangarmau in Unnao district around 6 am. All airbags deployed due to the impact and four occupants, including the driver, died on the spot. Police suspect the driver may have dozed off amid foggy conditions.
In Basti district, a private passenger bus travelling from Sant Kabir Nagar to Ajmer collided with a truck, killing four passengers on the spot and injuring more than 20 others. The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals.
Authorities have advised motorists to avoid high-speed driving during foggy conditions and strictly follow traffic advisories to prevent further accidents.
