Two general managers of Bharat Heavy Electrical limited (BHEl), a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), lost their lives while nearly 40 others, including 27 foreign tourists, sustained critical injuries in a pile-up of more than four dozen vehicles on Yamuna Expressway on Wednesday morning. The multiple pile-up was triggered by almost zero visibility after one of the vehicles took a wrong lane and collided with a vehicle coming from behind.
The deceased have been identified as RM Sinha and AK Das, both GMs at BHEl. Another BHEl employee, identified as Shweta Singh, sustained critical injuries. The condition of three others is stated to be highly critical. Senior police officials said that the two tourist buses were part of the pile-up on Yamuna Expressway, which is used by commuters moving between Noida and Greater Noida, home to many offices and industrial units.
The collision was so fierce that 27 vehicles banged into each other. All those injured in the crash were shifted to JP Hospital and Kailash Hospital in Greater Noida. The wreckage from the battered vehicles was spread out over a stretch of over nine kilometre. The accident also resulted in massive traffic jam on the expressway and it took hours for the traffic police to restore normalcy, said a police official.
“Dense fog that had covered the expressway on early Wednesday morning led to the pile-up. The accident occurred on both sides of the Yamuna Expressway, a few miles before Jewar toll plaza. The first accident occurred when a truck hit from behind a Chevrolet Tavera car which suddenly shifted to a wrong lane. Many vehicles coming from behind, rammed into each others,” said SK Yadav, SHO, Jewar police station.
Motorists travelling on the service lane stopped to watch the pile-up and it triggered another pile-up on the service lane. Police said the visibility was extremely low at the time of the incident and it also affected the rescue operation. According to an eyewitness, the crash took place when a car crossed into another lane and collided with another vehicle. As cars behind slowed down, they bumped into each other. A case of rash and negligent driving causing death has been lodged and the investigation has been taken up, the police added.
"When a car crossed the centre line and collided with another car, cars behind them slowed down. Which eventually turned into a chain reaction crash leading to the pile-up," said Presenjit Ghosh, a tourist, whose vehicle was also involved in the crash.
The Jaypee group, which operates the expressway, immediately got into action clearing the pile-up. Within an hour, the expressway was open for operations, the official said. Meanwhile, the tourists, who were stranded, were sent in other buses. "The tourist operators have called new buses, the tourists will soon be leaving the place," said the official. The expressway was closed for several hours; it reopened at noon.