The first confidential investigation report, running into 66 pages, on the horrific accident on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura in which 19 people were burnt alive, has been submitted. The report squarely holds officials of the Yamuna Expressway Authority responsible for the tragedy and identifies the accident site as a “black spot.”
According to the report, the stretch of road where the accident occurred is low-lying and curved, making road signs invisible during foggy conditions.
Investigators noted that road markings had not been painted for long distances, there were no streetlights installed, and reflectors were ineffective in dense fog. The absence of CCTV cameras at the site also made it difficult to accurately reconstruct how the accident unfolded.
The accident took place on December 16 at milestone 127 under the Baldev police station area, when dense fog engulfed the expressway. A sleeper bus slowed down after encountering sudden low visibility. Vehicles following it failed to react in time, leading to a massive pile-up involving 18 vehicles. Six buses and three cars caught fire, killing 19 people, including a BJP leader, and leaving over 90 others injured. Many passengers did not get a chance to escape as the fire spread rapidly.
Following the incident, the District Magistrate constituted a six-member inquiry committee led by ADM (Administration) Amresh Kumar. The team completed its probe within 48 hours and submitted its report on Friday evening.
Separately, an 11-member team from Haryana’s Indian Institute of Road Transport (IIRT) is also conducting an independent investigation. On Friday, IIRT Head of Department Dr. Shruti visited the accident site with her team and carried out a detailed inspection for nearly three hours. Samples were collected from the spot for further analysis.
The IIRT team also stopped two double-decker buses passing through the expressway to examine safety arrangements inside them. They checked emergency exits, tyre fitness, first-aid boxes, and assessed the difficulties passengers might face while evacuating double-decker buses during emergencies.
Later, the investigators, along with a forensic team, visited the Raya cut yard where the burnt vehicles had been stored. From inside one of the buses, they recovered a 5-kg gas cylinder, a burnt mobile phone, and some personal belongings of passengers, which have been sent to a laboratory for examination.
Further findings from both investigations are awaited, while questions continue to be raised over safety lapses and infrastructure shortcomings on one of Uttar Pradesh’s busiest expressways.