At least 13 killed in massive accident due to fog on Yamuna expressway; vehicles burst in flames after pile-up

A major multi-vehicle collision occurred on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura district early on Tuesday morning, claiming at least 13 lives and injuring over 50 people. The catastrophic accident took place around 4 am on the Agra-to-Noida stretch of the expressway, near Milestone 127 under the Baldev police station limits. The primary cause of the pile-up was the extremely low visibility resulting from widespread dense fog blanketing Uttar Pradesh and other parts of northern India, a situation also reported in cities like Agra, Prayagraj, and Moradabad.

The collision involved at least seven buses and three cars, and the sheer force of the impact tragically triggered a major fire that engulfed some of the vehicles. Eyewitnesses reported hearing loud explosions immediately following the crash. Emergency services, including the fire department, swiftly responded to the scene, deploying 11 fire tenders to control the blaze and rescue passengers trapped inside the burning wreckage.

Senior officials, including District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh and the SSP, personally supervised the extensive rescue operations involving teams from the police, fire services, NHAI, and the SDRF. Traffic on the expressway was completely blocked and diverted until the debris was cleared. Stranded passengers were later provided with government vehicles to continue their journeys. The incident highlights the critical safety risks posed by dense winter fog across the expressways of North India.