Fog triggers pile-up, 13 charred to death as 11 vehicles catch fire on Yamuna Expressway
A fire broke out when 7 buses and 3 cars colided due to low visibility. fire tenders rushed to the spot and recue operations were underway
Thirteen people were killed, and a fire broke out on the Yamuna Expressway Milestone 127 in Mathura after eight buses and three cars collided in a pile-up caused by low visibility. 25 people were injured and were taken to the hospital.
While Mathura SSP Shlok Kumar initially said that 4 people had died, the number increased to 13 after charred remains from the site were sent to the hospital for examination.
The incident took place in the Baldev area of Mathura at 4:30 am on Tuesday.
Mathura SP Suresh Chandra Rawat told news agency ANI that one of the buses involved in the accident was a state roadways bus, and the other six were private sleeper buses. The fire has been brought under control.
An eyewitness said that the vehicles caught fire at around 4 am. “I was sleeping when the accident occurred. The bus was fully occupied. All the seats were full,” he told reporters.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken notice of the incident and has dispatched rescue officials to the scene. He has also announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives, and directed the best possible treatment to the injured.
A dozen fire tenders have reached the spot along with 14 ambulances to transfer the injured to the nearest Community Health Centre in Baldev.
Similar incidents have been reported due to the low visibility that persists in the winter season.
Earlier, on Monday, a massive pile-up occurred at the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Nuh, where 18 vehicles were involved. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials said the chain reaction began when a passenger bus rammed into a dumper truck amid near-zero visibility.
