A severe road accident triggered by dense fog brought traffic to a grinding halt on Kanpur's Yashoda Nagar Elevated Road on Tuesday morning. A pickup truck, heavily loaded with tomatoes, overturned after the driver lost control and slammed into a divider, critically trapping two young men beneath its chassis.
Dense Fog Blamed for the Collision
According to officials, the primary cause of the accident was the extremely poor visibility caused by a dense blanket of fog and haze. The driver, unable to see the road clearly, hit the divider directly. The violent impact crushed the front portion of the vehicle and pinned the two occupants under the heavy chassis, leading to a desperate situation requiring urgent rescue.
Two-Hour Rescue Operation by Fire Brigade
Fire officer Kamta Prasad from the Kidwai Nagar fire station swiftly led his team to the accident site. Faced with the complex task of extricating the trapped youth from the mangled wreckage, the fire personnel employed gas cutters. They meticulously sliced through the tough iron parts of the pickup truck. After a painstaking and tense operation lasting approximately two hours, the team successfully freed both young men from the wreckage.
Massive Traffic Disruption and Clearance
The accident and the subsequent rescue work caused a complete standstill on the busy elevated road. Long queues of vehicles snaked along the route from Naubasta to Ramadevi, causing significant inconvenience to commuters. After the rescue, the police used a crane to remove the severely damaged pickup truck from the carriageway. This clearance operation eventually restored smooth traffic flow in the area.
The incident highlights the recurring dangers posed by reduced visibility during winter fog, especially on high-speed corridors like elevated roads. It also underscores the critical role played by emergency services like the fire brigade in responding to such life-threatening situations on time.
