North India continues to battle severe cold and dense fog, severely impacting daily life and transportation. Extremely low visibility led to multiple road accidents across Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and other states, claiming several lives and injuring dozens.
Zero Visibility Causes Deadly Crashes Across North India; Traffic Hit Hard
New Delhi: Severe cold and dense fog continue to cause hardship for people in North India. Temperatures in Kashmir and Ladakh have dropped below freezing, while cold winds have also intensified the chill in the plains. Extremely low visibility in the morning severely affected road, rail, and air traffic. Visibility dropped to zero in many areas, causing significant difficulties for drivers.
Dense fog caused a major accident on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway in Haryana's Nuh district. A vehicle suddenly applied its brakes, causing five vehicles following it to collide. Following the collision, a dumper and a container caught fire, burning the trapped driver and helper to death. The accident caused a long traffic jam on the expressway, and rescue operations took considerable time.
More than 50 vehicles collided within two hours on the Delhi-Moradabad Highway in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh. Three roadways buses were among them. Several passengers sustained minor injuries in the accidents. Two people were killed and 24 injured in a collision involving a bus and several vehicles in Bareilly. Dozens were also injured in fog-related accidents in Shahjahanpur, Baghpat, and the Lucknow-Agra Expressway.
Two people were killed in a collision between a bus and a truck in Bathinda, Punjab, while one man was killed and his wife seriously injured in an accident in Ambala, Haryana.
According to the Meteorological Department, the western disturbance caused light snowfall along with rain on the high peaks of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Temperatures dropped significantly in the Kashmir Valley. The minimum temperature in Sonamarg, Shopian, and Srinagar remained below freezing. The mercury reached minus 20 degrees Celsius in Drass, Ladakh.
The minimum temperature in the capital, Delhi, was recorded at 5.3 degrees Celsius. Amritsar in Punjab was the coldest in the plains at 1.7 degrees Celsius. Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh recorded a temperature of 3.5 degrees Celsius.
The Meteorological Department predicts that fog will persist in many parts of North India until January 23rd. Light to moderate rain is expected in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Northeast India until January 24th. The administration has appealed to the public to remain vigilant and avoid unnecessary travel.
