Deadly pile-up on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway: 4 dead as multiple vehicles collide due to dense fog

NEW DELHI: Dense fog blanketed Delhi-NCR on Monday morning, triggering a massive multi-vehicle pile-up on the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway near Nuh that left at least four people dead and several others injured.

According to preliminary reports, extremely low visibility led to a chain collision involving nearly 40–50 vehicles, including cars and buses, on the high-speed corridor, causing chaos and severe traffic disruption.

Emergency response teams from the NHAI and the police rushed to the spot to rescue stranded motorists and halt traffic movement. The accident led to severe disruption and long traffic snarls along the affected stretch.Dense fog has repeatedly disrupted traffic movement on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) also, with multi-vehicle pile-ups becoming a frequent hazard during winter mornings. On Saturday, at least 15 vehicles were involved in two separate pile-ups on the Greater Noida stretch of the expressway, severely affecting traffic for nearly two hours, though no casualties were reported. The first accident occurred around 8.30 am on the Dasna–Palwal stretch near Samadhipur village in the Dadri area when a car heading towards Palwal slowed abruptly due to extremely poor visibility and was hit from behind.

As vehicles stopped on the carriageway to assess the damage, more cars approached at speed, triggering a chain collision involving around 12 vehicles, including heavy and light motor vehicles. Police teams from Dadri police station reached the spot after receiving alerts through emergency helpline 112 and temporarily halted traffic to prevent further accidents. The damaged vehicles were cleared from the carriageway and traffic movement was restored within two hours. About 15 minutes later, another collision involving three vehicles was reported near Chakrasenpur village on the same expressway, again attributed to dense fog and poor visibility. No serious injuries were reported in either incident. Police have repeatedly urged motorists to reduce speed, maintain safe distances and use fog lights during low-visibility conditions, warning that fog and cold weather often make road surfaces damp or slippery, increasing braking distance and the risk of chain collisions. District road safety data underscore the risks. In 2024, the district recorded 1,165 road accidents, in which 462 people were killed and 966 injured. Between January and August this year alone, 797 accidents claimed 311 lives and left 585 people injured.