Over-speeding at near zero visibility blamed for accident

Two people died and 23 were injured in a massive 27-vehicle pile-up on the Yamuna Expressway on Wednesday morning.

According to local police, two cars collided and turned turtle, leading to a long row of vehicles crashing behind them around 8.30 a.m.

Jewar Deputy Superintendent of Police Arvind Kumar said: “It was a combination of over-speeding and near zero visibility due to fog that appears to have led to the accident.”

The wreckage extended for about a kilometre, with two buses, two trucks and a tempo also involved.

The crash occurred 33 kms from the Greater Noida starting point of the 165-km expressway, which goes up to Agra.

The car in which the two victims were travelling in, said Mr. Kumar, was on its way to Agra.

The deceased have been identified as BHEL general manager R.N. Sinha and deputy general manager Anil Kumar Das. The injured were taken to hospitals in the district and most had been discharged by evening.

Local authorities said the expressway becomes more accident-prone in winter when foggy conditions prevail. On Tuesday, another crash on the expressway had killed the driver of an SUV and injured six people.