Thirteen people were killed and 35 others injured after a massive vehicle pile-up on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura early Tuesday led to several buses catching fire, police said. The accident occurred around 4.30 am amid dense fog on the Agra-to-Noida stretch under the jurisdiction of Baldev police station.
According to police, at least seven buses and three smaller vehicles collided due to extremely low visibility, triggering a blaze that engulfed multiple vehicles. “The vehicles collided because of fog on the Agra-to-Noida side of the Yamuna Expressway. Some vehicles caught fire. All the injured have been shifted to hospitals,” Mathura Senior Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar said.
Baldev Police Station SHO Ranjana Sachan said all 13 victims died of burn injuries. Two of the deceased were identified as Akhilendra Pratap Yadav (44) from Prayagraj and Rampal (75) from Maharajganj. Of the injured, 15 were admitted to the district hospital, nine each to a community health centre and a private hospital in Baldev, and two to SN Medical College in Agra. Police said none of the injured are in critical condition.
Visuals from the scene showed charred remains of buses reduced to shells. Cranes were deployed to clear the wreckage from the expressway. Authorities arranged government vehicles to transport stranded passengers to their destinations, while traffic diversions were put in place due to the road blockage.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the tragedy and announced ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each for the injured. He also directed officials to ensure proper medical care for those hurt in the accident.
The incident comes amid a spate of fog-related road accidents across north India. On Monday, three people, including two police personnel, were killed in separate multi-vehicle crashes in Haryana’s Sonipat and Nuh districts, highlighting the growing risk posed by poor visibility during winter mornings.
