Thick smog in NCR region, low visibility leads to mishaps

Thick smog and the resultant low visibility in the NCR region today led to two accidents in which five persons were killed and seven others injured.

Visibility was reduced to 300m at 9.30am as thick smog created by smoke and fog descended in the wee hours of the day, the Met department said.

The visibility later improved to 1,000m at around 2pm. The smog continued for as long as there was no wind, they said.

Seven students were injured when a school bus was hit by a truck at around 7.30am near Kashmere Gate area here.

Students of DPS Mathura Road were getting into their mini-bus near when the truck hit the vehicle from behind.

Three girls and four boys sustained injuries as the vehicle overturned, police said.

They were immediately rushed to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital. While six of them were discharged after treatment, one student still remains admitted. The bus driver was also injured in the incident.

The truck driver fled the spot after the incident.

In a separate accident, five railwaymen, including an officer, were run over by Delhi-bound Dehradun Janshatabdi Express near Ghaziabad at around 11.30am. Poor visibility was believed to be the cause of the mishap.

Northern railway sources said a railway inspection officer and four gangmen were killed in the accident between Ghaziabad and Shahibabad stations. They said the mishap took place when the gangmen were at work.

Smog is experienced at the onset of winter, the Met office said. Similar conditions may prevail for the next few days, it said.

There was less traffic on the roads due to the thick blanket of smog. However, there was no report about any disruption in the flight operations.