LAHORE, Pakistan: Heavy fog on Thursday engulfed the Punjab Province which not only caused disruption in traffic flow on motorways but also left 12 persons dead in various accidents.
Sources said that 12 vehicles struck each other on motorway near Sukheki interchange in Punjab’s Hafizabad district because of dense Smog, resulting in deaths of nine persons and 70 injuries.
Two persons including a woman and her son lost their lives when two vehicles collided at Charagh Abad Interchange on motorway. Three other persons were also injured in the accident and were shifted to Allied Hospital Faisalabad.
Likewise, an accident occurred due to dense fog in Khushab in which one person was killed.
Meanwhile, several sections of the motorway were closed after the spell of dense fog disrupted movement of traffic in Punjab.
The M2 motorway, connecting Rawalpindi and Islamabad to Lahore, was closed from Sial Mor to Lahore in the wake of zero visibility due to heavy fog, a spokesman for the Motorway Police said.
The M3 motorway, leading to Faisalabad from Pindi Bhattian, was also closed completely due to zero visibility, he added.
From Islamabad to Sial Mor, light fog was observed with visibility 80-150 meters and the section remained open.
On GT Road, the visibility was 80-140 meters as light fog engulfed Kamonki, yet, it too remained open for traffic.
In Lahore, citizens felt difficulties to set out of homes and travel due to heavy smog. People complained of sore eyes due to the heavy spell which was continued since yesterday.
A 20-member special team of the Punjab government submitted its initial report on smog to Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif on Thursday.
The report states that due to the climate change many areas of the city are under heavy fog, advising people to travel carefully.
Health experts in the committee recommended that children and elderly citizens should be protected from smog and covered their faces with masks while going out. In case of sore eyes, wash them with fresh and cold water.
This is what experts are saying about fog in Lahore. pic.twitter.com/5RhsaZwpHQ
— Syed Talat Hussain (@TalatHussain12) November 3, 2016
