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7 killed, 56 injured in mishaps across Uttar Pradesh amid dense fog
Police and highway authorities have urged motorists to exercise extreme caution, reduce speed, maintain a safe distance, and use fog lights
Dense fog and near-zero visibility conditions triggered a spate of road accidents across several districts of Uttar Pradesh, claiming seven lives—including one death each in the Fatehpur pile-up, Moradabad, Meerut and Sambhal road accidents, and three deaths in Sultanpur—and leaving 56 others injured in the past 24 hours, officials said on Saturday.
In Fatehpur, a major pile-up involving at least 10 vehicles occurred on NH-2 near Saura village under Malwan police station. The accident was triggered when a pickup vehicle rammed into a stationary truck amid thick fog, leading to a chain collision involving vehicles in both lanes. Seventeen-year-old Yash Gautam died in the accident, while 10 others, including two advocates, were injured.
The victim’s mother Seema Devi sustained critical injuries and was referred to Kanpur Medical College. An injured motorist Zakir said he was travelling from Aligarh to Prayagraj when a truck hit his car from behind, pushing it into another vehicle.
NHAI official Ajit Singh and ASP Mahendra Pal Singh reached the spot and supervised removal of damaged vehicles to restore traffic. In another accident, on the Agra national highway in Moradabad, thick fog caused a motorcycle to skid near Bhikhanpur Kulwada village under Kundarki police station late on Friday night. Moments later, an unidentified speeding truck ran over the riders. Forty-two-year-old Larefi died on the spot while his brother-in-law, Shababul, 25, was critically injured.
In Sultanpur, a truck rear-ended a small truck on Purvanchal Expressway late on Friday night. The small truck, carrying 14 labourers from Rae Bareli to Bihar, was hit amid dense fog, killing three people and injuring seven others. The truck driver fled the scene, police said.
In Meerut, a car plunged into a drain near a PAC culvert under Pallavpuram police station area around midnight due to poor visibility, killing an 18-month-old child and seriously injuring other family members.
In Sambhal, a speeding mini loader rammed into an auto-rickshaw near Mau Kather village under Bahjoi police station limits in which seven passengers were injured and one woman died while being taken to a health facility.
In Pratapgarh, 23 devotees, including women and children, were injured after a bus and a mini truck collided on the Ayodhya–Prayagraj highway near Jogapur at around 3.30 am on Saturday. Police said the accident occurred amid dense fog and was allegedly caused during an overtaking attempt.
According to officials, the bus was carrying 110 devotees from Gonda, while the mini truck had 33 devotees from Sant Kabir Nagar. All were travelling to Prayagraj to attend the ongoing Magh Mela and take a holy dip in the Sangam on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya on January 18. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.
Police and highway authorities have urged motorists to exercise extreme caution, reduce speed, maintain a safe distance, and use fog lights.
