Gurugram, Bareilly, Ambala: Dense fog across north India on Sunday morning led to a series of fatal road accidents in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, claiming at least four lives and leaving several others injured, police said.
In Haryana’s Ambala district, a newly-wed man was killed and his wife seriously injured after their car rammed into a roundabout amid fog. The accident took place near Saha village. According to the police, Simran Singh, a resident of Ambala Cantt, was going towards Jagadhri in Yamunanagar district when the accident occurred. Passersby rushed the couple to a hospital where doctors declared Simran brought dead, while his wife Akanksha was admitted in a serious condition. Local residents claimed there were neither reflectors nor warning signs at the Saha roundabout, which has led to several accidents there in the past.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district, a massive pile-up involving at least 20 vehicles on the Delhi-Lucknow National Highway amid dense fog left one person dead and at least 24 injured. A state roadways bus travelling from Gorakhpur to Meerut hit a truck, following which several vehicles coming from behind crashed into one another due to poor visibility, said SHO of Faridpur Police station Radheshyam. Three roadways buses, a truck and several cars were damaged in the accident. One of the trucks veered off the highway and crashed into roadside trees, while some vehicles slid off the road.
Roadways bus co-driver Rahul (35), a resident of Muzaffarnagar district, succumbed to his injuries at the Faridpur Community Health Centre. The bus driver, Atar Singh, was seriously injured and is undergoing treatment. Of the injured, four were stated to be in serious condition, while several others were discharged after first aid was administered. The accident led to long traffic snarls, and traffic was restored after about half an hour.
In another incident in Haryana’s Nuh district, two men were burned to death following a multi-vehicle pileup on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway around 7.30 am. Police said a truck carrying crushers suddenly applied brakes and four other vehicles crashed into it due to dense fog. Two trucks in the middle caught fire, killing truck driver Rakesh (33) from Sikar and his helper Deshraj (28) from Alwar. “We have kept the bodies in the mortuary and informed the families. An FIR has been registered and further probe is underway,” said ASI Devki Nandan.