Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 16 : Bodies of those killed in a major accident on the Delhi-Agra Expressway were brought in body bags to the postmortem facitility in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura on Tuesday, as authorities continued efforts to ascertain the exact death toll and identify the deceased.
At least four people lost their lives, and 25 others sustained injuries after several buses caught fire following a massive collision on the Delhi-Agra Expressway in Mathura district during the early hours today.
According to officials, unspecified number of body bags reached the postmortem house, where multiple police teams were deployed to complete necessary paperwork and conduct postmortem examinations.
The district administration, however, has officially confirmed the deaths of four people in the accident so far.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Mathura, Dr Radha Ballabh, visited the postmortem facility to oversee the arrangements. When questioned by the media regarding the number of fatalities, the CMO was seen giving evasive and unclear responses, avoiding direct answers about the death toll.
Further details are expected after postmortem procedures are completed.
According to the police, the accident occurred at Yamuna Expressway's Milestone 127 amid low visibility caused by dense fog. Soon after the incident, police teams and fire department personnel rushed to the scene to carry out rescue and relief operations. As many as 11 fire tenders were deployed to douse the flames and rescue trapped passengers.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mathura, Shlok Kumar told reporters, said that multiple vehicles were involved in the accident, which resulted in a massive fire engulfing several buses and cars.
"An accident took place at the Yamuna Expressway Milestone 127. The reason was low visibility. Seven buses and three cars collided, and as a result, a fire broke out in all the vehicles. The rescue operation is nearing completion, and so far, four people have died. Twenty-five people have been admitted to the hospital, and none of them are in a serious condition," SSP Kumar said.
Providing further details about the incident, SP Mathura Rural, Suresh Chandra Rawat, said the collision occurred on the Agra-Noida lane of the expressway and initially involved three cars, after which several buses rammed into them.
"The accident took place at Milestone 127 on the Agra-Noida lane of the expressway. There was a collision of three cars, after which seven buses collided with them, of which 1 is a roadway bus, and the other six are sleeper buses. 11 fire tenders are at the spot. All the buses had caught fire, and the fire has now been brought under control. 4 dead bodies have been recovered so far. Rescue work is underway," Rawat said.
Speaking to reporters, an eyewitness travelling in one of the buses described the chaotic situation following the collision."An accident took place and nearly 3-4 buses caught fire. I was sleeping when the accident occurred. The bus was fully occupied. All the seats were full. The accident occurred around 4 am," the eyewitness said.