4 killed, 25 injured as fog-triggered pile-up of 10 vehicles leaves buses in flames on Yamuna Expressway

In the wee hours of Tuesday, At least four people were killed and 25 others injured in a collision involving seven buses and three cars on the Yamuna Expressway, police said. Preliminary reports indicate that the victims were charred to death after the buses caught fire following the crash.

The accident occurred around 4.30 am on the Agra–Noida stretch of the Yamuna Expressway near Milestone 127, under the jurisdiction of Baldeo police station in Mathura district. Police said heavy fog and low visibility led to the pile-up involving multiple vehicles. All the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for primary treatment, and officials said none of them is in critical condition.

Speaking about the incident, SSP Mathura Shlok Kumar said the crash was triggered by poor visibility caused by dense fog. “Around 4.30 am, approximately seven buses and three small vehicles collided with each other due to low visibility. The vehicles caught fire after the collision. Local administration and emergency teams reached the spot immediately,” he said.

More from India

Delhi imposes toughest curbs as AQI plunges into ‘severe plus’ Delhi fog: 40 flights cancelled, many diverted as smog engulfs India’s National Capital Region

He added that rescue operations were nearing completion. “So far, four deaths have been confirmed. Around 25 people have been admitted to hospital, and none of them is serious. They are being provided the best possible treatment. The expressway was completely blocked, so traffic has been diverted from behind. The debris has now been removed, and passengers have been sent to their destinations using government vehicles,” the SSP said.

SP Mathura Rural Suresh Chandra Rawat said three cars first collided with each other, following which seven buses, including one roadways bus and six sleeper buses, rammed into them. “All the buses caught fire. Eleven fire tenders are at the spot, and the fire has now been brought under control. Four dead bodies have been recovered so far. Rescue work is underway,” he said.

Quick Reads

View All

India brings back Luthra brothers from Thailand as agencies probe Goa club inferno that killed 25

Delhi schools to conduct online classes for students up to Class 5 as air quality worsens

Fire tenders, police teams and ambulances were deployed at the site, and traffic on the affected stretch was halted during rescue and firefighting operations.

Series of fog-related crashes across NCR

The fatal crash on the Delhi–Agra Expressway came a day after dense fog triggered multiple pile-ups across NCR expressways, leaving at least six people dead and several injured. The first major accident was reported near Raniyala Patakpur village in Nuh district, where at least 20 vehicles, including two trucks, were involved in a chain collision on the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway.

Two people, CISF inspector Harish Kumar (38) from Alwar and Khalil (45) from Jaipur, were killed, while five others were injured. Another pile-up involving seven to eight vehicles was reported near Banarsi village on the same expressway, though no injuries were recorded. A separate accident on Delhi–Alwar Road near Ghaseda village involved a Haryana Roadways bus and a tractor, causing damage but no casualties.

In Faridabad, a Ford Endeavour rammed into a stationary truck near Kail village on the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, killing two men from Jaipur. A third occupant later succumbed to injuries during treatment. On the other side of NCR, two pile-ups involving around 20 vehicles were reported on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway near Attai village in Noida, leaving a 24-year-old truck driver dead and 13 others injured. Traffic police across NCR said dense fog and near-zero visibility were common factors in all the crashes and urged motorists to slow down, maintain lane discipline and avoid stopping on expressways during foggy conditions.

Dense fog delays flight

Delhi’s air quality dipped to the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday after three consecutive days in the severe range, as fog intensity reduced over the national capital due to an increase in wind speed. Shallow fog was recorded on Tuesday, compared with very dense fog on Monday, though flights continued to be impacted at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The 24-hour average air quality index stood at 377 at 8 am on Tuesday, down from 427 at 4 pm on Monday. The AQI had peaked at 461 on Sunday, the second worst December air day on record. Meanwhile, over 200 flights were delayed at the airport till 8 am on Tuesday, a cascading effect of Monday’s dense fog, which led to take-offs being halted for around five hours, resulting in over 800 delays, more than 220 cancellations and five diversions, leaving many passengers stranded at terminals.