7 Buses, 3 Cars Collide Amid Dense Fog On Delhi-Agra Expressway; 13 Charred To Death, 25 Injured

Mathura: Thirteen individuals were charred to death as several vehicles collided against one other on the Delhi-Agra Expressway which resulted in a massive fire in the early hours of Monday, reports indicated. According to the police, 25 people were injured in the incident.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Mathura Shlok Kumar said that four people were burnt alive in the accident. He described that seven buses and three small vehicles collided against one another owing to low visibility in the dense fog.

“An accident took place at the Yamuna Expressway Milestone 127. The reason was low visibility,” he said, speaking to reporters.

Elaborating on the cause of the accident, Kumar added, "Seven buses and three cars collided as a result of which, a fire broke out in all the vehicles. The rescue operation is nearing completion, and so far, four people have died. 25 people have been admitted to the hospital, and none of them are in a serious condition." Initially, the death toll was reported as four; it rose to 13 as more people died of burns.

Speaking to reporters, SP Mathura Rural, Suresh Chandra Rawat said, “The accident took place at Milestone 127 on the Agra-Noida lane of the expressway."

Describing what led to the accident, Rawat said, "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. Four dead bodies have been recovered so far. Rescue work is underway.”

According to an eyewitness, the bus was fully occupied. "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," he said.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Office announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The PMO also stated that the injured would be given Rs 50,000.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the incident. 

“The loss of lives in the road accident on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura district is extremely tragic and heart-rending. My condolences are with the bereaved families. Instructions have been given to the district administration officials for proper treatment of the injured. I pray to Lord Shri Ram that he grants place at his divine feet to the departed souls and bestows swift recovery to the injured,” the Chief Minister said in a post on X.

The accident on the Delhi-Agra Expressway took place a day after at least four people, including two police officers died in a massive pile-up of vehicles on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Raniyala Patakpur village. According to reports, dense fog caused low visibility, leading to an initial two-truck collision that escalated to involve 20-25 vehicles. The crash on Monday was caused due to a flipped truck spilling guavas, creating a slippery risk on the road. The resulting hazardous, slick road surface rapidly caused more vehicles to crash into the pile-up.

Meanwhile, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi has reported an Air Quality Index of 401 on Tuesday, categorised as ‘Severe’. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked all actions under GRAP Stage-IV in the Delhi-NCR area.

Earlier on Monday, several cities across Uttar Pradesh woke up to thick smog, as air quality deteriorated in different parts of the state and visibility dropped sharply. 

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