Tragedy unfolded on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway early Monday when the season’s first spell of dense fog triggered a massive multi-vehicle crash involving nearly 20 automobiles. The accident occurred around 5 am when visibility dropped drastically due to thick fog. Four people lost their lives in the incident, including two police personnel, while around 15 to 20 others sustained serious injuries. Emergency responders described the scene as chaotic, with damaged vehicles scattered across the stretch. Authorities said the poor visibility severely limited reaction time for drivers, turning the busy expressway into the site of a deadly pile-up.
According to preliminary details, the accident began when two overloaded dumper trucks collided amid extremely low visibility. Moments later, a truck transporting guavas rammed into the already-crashed vehicles from behind. The situation escalated when the fruit-laden truck overturned, spilling guavas across the roadway. The scattered fruit made the surface slippery, compounding the danger created by the fog. Vehicles approaching the spot were unable to brake in time, resulting in a chain reaction. One collision after another followed, eventually involving nearly 20 to 25 vehicles in the devastating crash.
Police, ambulances and rescue teams rushed to the site soon after receiving information about the accident. The injured were quickly shifted to nearby hospitals, where several victims were reported to be in critical condition. The bodies of those who died were taken into police custody and sent for post-mortem examinations. Due to the severity of the crash, traffic on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway came to a complete standstill for several hours. Authorities later managed to clear the damaged vehicles and restore movement, while investigations into the exact sequence of events continued.
The expressway tragedy followed a series of fog-related road accidents reported across Haryana on Sunday. In Rohtak’s Meham area, a collision at a highway intersection led to a pile-up involving 35 to 40 vehicles, mostly trucks. Similar incidents were reported from Hisar and Rewari, where buses, dumpers, cars and motorcycles collided due to poor visibility. Officials once again urged motorists to exercise extreme caution while driving in foggy conditions, stressing the importance of reduced speed and safe distance to avoid such fatal accidents.