|
At least four people lost their lives and 25 others sustained injuries after several buses caught fire following a massive collision on the Delhi-Agra Expressway in Uttar Pradesh''s Mathura district during the early hours of Tuesday, officials said.
According to the police, the accident occurred at Yamuna Expressway''s Milestone 127 amid low visibility caused by dense fog. Soon after the incident, police teams and fire department personnel rushed to the scene to carry out rescue and relief operations. As many as 11 fire tenders were deployed to douse the flames and rescue trapped passengers. Speaking to reporters, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mathura, Shlok Kumar, said that multiple vehicles were involved in the accident, which resulted in a massive fire engulfing several buses and cars. "An accident took place at the Yamuna Expressway Milestone 127. The reason was low visibility. Seven buses and three cars collided, and as a result, a fire broke out in all the vehicles. The rescue operation is nearing completion, and so far, four people have died. Twenty-five people have been admitted to the hospital, and none of them are in a serious condition," SSP Kumar said. Providing further details about the incident, SP Mathura Rural, Suresh Chandra Rawat, said the collision occurred on the Agra-Noida lane of the expressway and initially involved three cars, after which several buses rammed into them. "The accident took place at Milestone 127 on the Agra-Noida lane of the expressway. There was a collision of three cars, after which seven buses collided with them, of which 1 is a roadway bus, and the other six are sleeper buses. 11 fire tenders are at the spot. All the buses had caught fire, and the fire has now been brought under control. 4 dead bodies have been recovered so far. Rescue work is underway," Rawat said. Speaking to reporters, an eyewitness travelling in one of the buses described the chaotic situation following the collision. "An accident took place and nearly 3-4 buses caught fire. I was sleeping when the accident occurred. The bus was fully occupied. All the seats were full. The accident occurred around 4 am," the eyewitness said. Several buses catching fire triggered panic among passengers, many of whom attempted to flee the vehicles to save their lives. Rescue and relief operations were launched immediately, and the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment. It''s crucial to note that on Monday morning, several cities across Uttar Pradesh woke up to thick smog as air quality deteriorated in different parts of the state and visibility dropped sharply. Agra, in particular, was shrouded in dense fog, rendering the iconic Taj Mahal completely invisible to visitors. Local residents said the fog was so thick that even nearby vehicles were difficult to spot on roads, posing serious risks to commuters. (ANI)
|
