At least four people were killed and six injured in separate road crashes in Uttar Pradesh due to reduced visibility caused by dense fog, police said on Thursday.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had to cancel his trip to Ayodhya on Thursday due to poor visibility because of dense fog, press secretary in the CM's office Mrityunjay Kumar said.
Adityanath had to fly to the temple town ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on December 30 to inaugurate a new airport and a new railway building. Sources said he might travel to Ayodhya by road either this evening or Friday morning.
According to the state Meteorological department officials, dense fog was reported from across Uttar Pradesh in the early hours of Thursday, with visibility plunging down to less than 40 metres in some areas.
The weather department officials have forecast dense fog with visibility dropping to 50 metres in the state for the next two days during the morning hours.
In Unnao, two men were killed when their motorcycle collided with a stationary truck here in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Thursday, suspecting that the accident took place due to dense fog.
"Govind Pathak (31) and Vivekanand (21) were travelling on a motorcycle and it collided with a truck on Wednesday night," Sehramau Station House Officer (SHO) Kamal Dubey said.
"It appears that the duo failed to spot the truck due to dense fog.
While Pathak was killed on the spot, Vivekanand succumbed to injuries at a hospital a few hours later," he said.
Early Thursday, police constable Dinesh Yadav, who was driving a police jeep, was injured when his vehicle collided with a truck in an area under the Purva police station. The constable has been admitted to a hospital, officials said.
In Muzaffarnagar district of western UP, two men were killed after being run over by a truck in Miranpur Police station area on Wednesday night.
Station House Officer (SHO) Ravindra Singh Yadav said, "Naveen (25) and his friend Vineet (24) were travelling on a motorcycle when a truck hit their bike and ran over the duo, killing them on the spot." Police have sent the body for postmortem.
In Azamgarh, five people were injured after the car they were travelling in collided with a stranded pickup van in Atraulia police station area of the district. SHO Ravindra Rai said, "The accident occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday. The injured have been admitted to hospital." Dense fog also affected the movement of public transport in the state.
Uttar Pradesh State Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) Regional Manager in Baghpat Lokesh Rajput said, "We have rescheduled the timing of buses due to dense fog. Orders have also been issued to halt movement of buses in the night amidst dense fog to avoid accidents."
