LUDHIANA, Dec 28 — One person was killed and five others injured after multiple vehicles collided on a highway near Ajnaud village in Ludhiana district early Sunday amid dense fog that sharply reduced visibility, police said.
The accident occurred near Doraha when a truck carrying LPG cylinders braked suddenly after a car slowed ahead of it, triggering a chain reaction involving several vehicles.
“The truck had to apply sudden brakes, and vehicles behind it could not stop in time because of poor visibility,” said Sukhdev Singh, who led the rescue operation. “This led to multiple collisions.”
Police said the situation worsened when a truck loaded with cement bags rammed into vehicles ahead of it, while those following also crashed into one another.
One of the drivers died after stepping out of his vehicle during the pile-up. According to police sources, he was attempting to remove a gas cylinder lodged beneath his car when another vehicle struck him.
“The man was standing near his vehicle when he was hit,” a police official said, adding that the identities of the deceased and injured were still being verified.
Emergency teams, including the Sadak Suraksha Force, were deployed to clear the road and assist the injured. Officials said a major disaster was avoided as the LPG cylinders did not catch fire.
In a separate incident later in the day, a Hyundai Verna collided with a private bus near Bharthala village on the Chandigarh-Samrala road. Police said the occupants of the car fled before officers arrived, making it unclear whether anyone was injured.
“The car was impounded after we found a large quantity of liquor bottles inside,” a Samrala police official said.
Earlier during the night, another car carrying three people caught fire near Agwar Lopon village close to Jagraon. The occupants managed to escape after noticing flames, and a fire brigade later extinguished the blaze.
