The collisions led to the instant eruption of fire, taking both the passenger buses and automobiles involved, thus creating chaos at the accident site.
Death toll has risen to 13 as initially the count was 4. Nine critically injured were in the hospital who now have declared dead.
A total of 8 buses and 3 cars were involved in the accident. The vehicle-to-vehicle collisions occurred almost simultaneously, resulting in the ignition of all 11 vehicles.
As per the statement of Police Superintendent Shlok Kumar, the collision took place along the Agra/Noida section of the Yamuna Expressway. The drivers experienced limited opportunity to react due to a heavily-laden mist making it difficult to see.
The collisions led to the instant eruption of fire, taking both the passenger buses and automobiles involved, thus creating chaos at the accident site. Witnesses reported hearing screams of other passengers trapped inside these ignited vehicles being engulfed in flames.
Within minutes after the accident, all first responders including fire and police departments and ambulances were called to the accident site, and professional firefighters were on hand working to extinguish all fires and respond to all victims involved in this horrendous tragedy.
Once the firefighters successfully controlled the fire, the rescue teams evacuated all individuals involved in this horrible accident and transported those with serious personal injuries to medical centres located in Mathura and adjacent areas.
Approximately 25 individuals have been admitted into injured facilities across Mathura and adjacent districts; several of these individuals are currently in critical conditions.
Authorities took several hours to clear the wreckage along the expressway due to traffic delays. While there are visible delays in many areas throughout Uttar Pradesh caused by weather conditions, other authorities will continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this accident based on the sequence of events leading up to the crash.
On Monday morning many portions of Uttar Pradesh were affected by very high levels of fog/smog causing extreme visibility problems. Agra remained completely enveloped in a very thick fog for multiple hours and the visibility of the Taj Mahal was diminished by the dense fog.
Other locations across Uttar Pradesh including Varanasi, Prayagraj, Mainpuri, and Moradabad experienced similar levels of fog during the same time frame.
The overall quality of Air in Uttar Pradesh also continues to decline, particularly Agra where the Central Pollution Control Board lists Air Quality Levels (AQI) as “Poor” and Noida as “Severe.”
In addition to the current decline in Air Quality Levels throughout Uttar Pradesh, Delhi is experiencing similar problems with each city currently experiencing very severe levels of Air Pollution and still continues to have significantly reduced general visibility.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident and we will provide additional details as they become available.
