Dozens Injured In Accident In Uttar Pradesh
Two motorcycle riders were killed and more than 30 passengers injured in three different road mishaps which occurred on Tuesday morning when Noida, and other parts of western Uttar Pradesh were covered under thick smog which reduced visibility.
A thick fog on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway resulted into multiple collision with a broken truck. Some of the occupants of the cars were injured and taken to Saifai Medical College, while one was taken to Shikohabad Hospital.
A victim of the crash recounted, “We couldn’t see anything. Our car hit another vehicle, and then three or four more cars crashed into ours.”
In the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, a truck rammed into another truck because of fog that caused an accident splash. The accident involved a bus which was on a route from Panipat to Mathura, dashed into two stationary trucks and left more than ten passengers injured that were later taken to hospital. Police rushed to the scene to disperse the congestion.
In Bulandshahr, a speeding truck ran over a bike on National Highway-34 and claimed the life of Mansharam, a Mainpuri resident. Another reason for the collision was that drivers could not see the stalled vehicle due to the smog, which resulted in the pile-up of several SUVs and other cars. Distribution of the trucks has been stopped and the truck driver was arrested.
The second fatal mishap was reported in Badaun where a unidentified vehicle hit bike of Santosh Singh, a teacher who was on way to his school in Mau and died due to injuries. Ten others got injured in similar circumstances in the region. The accidents emerge as North India chokes with poor air quality with pollution in the ‘severe plus’ category.
The newly developed fog or smog has turned into a public health crisis where people are suffering from throat pains, headache, breathing problems. People have been advised to stay indoors in order to avoid breathing the poisonous air.
Local police and administrations are on high alert to manage the fallout from the hazardous conditions, which continue to threaten road safety and public health.