1 killed, 21 hurt in collisions in west UP amid dense fog

Agra: A thick blanket of fog significantly reduced visibility on Friday morning and triggered collisions involving multiple vehicles in west UP – including in Mainpuri, Aligarh and Farrukhabad – leaving one dead and 21 injured.Mohit Kumar, 24, a school van driver, who was transporting six students of Classes 2 to 5, died after the vehicle was hit by a truck amid dense fog conditions in an area under Kurawali police station in Mainpuri. Sub-divisional magistrate Neeraj Dwivedi said, "Kumar and four children who suffered serious injuries were taken to the district hospital, while two others with minor injuries are being treated at Kurawali community health centre." Mohit succumbed to his injuries during treatment. In Aligarh's GT Road, visibility dropped to barely 5m, causing several vehicles heading towards Khurja to collide into each other. At least 13 people were injured with many in critical condition. "The injured have been taken to the district hospital. Probe revealed that as many as seven vehicles were caught in the collision. The damaged vehicles have been removed from the road," said Lodha SHO Gajendra Singh.According to eyewitnesses, a canter rammed into another canter with such great force that the vehicle broke the road divider and veered into the opposite lane. Several heavy trucks and smaller vehicles were unable to stop in time and collided in quick succession. Chaos ensued as screams for help drew residents from nearby areas who alerted the police. Traffic was affected for several hours as police teams rescued people trapped inside the damaged vehicles.In Farrukhabad, in an area under Nawabganj police station, dense fog conditions caused a truck to lose control and crash into four roadside shops. Two people were injured, one of whom was admitted to the community health centre for treatment, police said.