13 Burnt To Death on Yamuna Expressway As 19 Vehicles Pile-Up Due To Fog
At least 13 people died, and over 100 were injured in a massive multi-vehicle pile-up on the Delhi–Agra Expressway in Mathura due to dense fog.
At least 13 people were burnt to death, and more than 100 others were injured in a major road accident on the Delhi–Agra Expressway in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh on the morning of 16 December. The accident happened due to dense fog that reduced visibility to almost zero.
The accident took place between 3:40 am and 4:30 am and involved around 19 vehicles, including one roadways bus, six sleeper buses, a tempo traveller, and several cars. Police said visibility was “not even one metre” at the time. A car and a bus reportedly collided first, and as they stopped on the road, other vehicles coming from the Agra side crashed into them one after another.
Soon after the pile-up, a loud explosion was heard, followed by a massive fire. Eyewitnesses believe a CNG tank of a private bus may have burst, creating a huge fireball that engulfed many vehicles. Most passengers were asleep when the accident occurred.
Out of the 13 people who died, only three have been identified so far, as many bodies were burnt beyond recognition. DNA tests are being conducted to identify the remaining victims. The injured have been admitted to hospitals in Mathura and Agra.
One of the victims was 75-year-old Jai Prakash Verma, who made a final phone call to his daughter after the accident, pleading for help before the call disconnected. Another victim, 42-year-old Parvati Devi, managed to push her two children out of a burning bus by breaking a window, but she could not escape and died in the fire.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of the victims. The Uttar Pradesh government announced compensation of ?2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and ?50,000 for the injured. The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund will also provide ?2 lakh to the families of the deceased and ?50,000 to the injured.
Mathura District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Police have registered an FIR and are checking CCTV footage and vehicle records to find the exact cause of the accident.
The tragic incident has once again raised serious concerns about road safety on high-speed expressways, especially during foggy winter conditions.
