Seven injured as six trailers collide on Multan–Sukkur Motorway

LAHORE: At least seven people were injured on Tuesday after six trailer trucks collided on the Multan–Sukkur Motorway (M-5) due to low visibility caused by dense fog.

The section of the motorway from the Zahir Pir (Rahim Yar Khan) area to the Multan Sher Shah Interchange — where the collision occurred — had been temporarily closed in the morning because of poor visibility, and was later reopened.

According to Rescue 1122, trucks travelling on the motorway crashed into other trucks that had stopped due to the fog.

Providing further details, Multan Rescue 1122 spokesperson Arshad Hussain said that the accident involved six trucks.

The rescue service said that seven people were injured in the crash, two of whom were pulled out of a truck during the rescue operation.

Alternate routes

National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) spokesperson Imran said that due to fog, the M-5 section from the Multan Sher Shah Interchange to Zahir Pir (Rahim Yar Khan) remained closed from 6am to 11:30am.

M-5 is part of the Lahore–Karachi motorway network and is operational up to Sukkur. The temporary closure on Tuesday forced thousands of commuters to use the National Highway to reach their destinations.

Following the closure, traffic was diverted from Zahir Pir to Uch Sharif, Alipur and Muzaffargarh via the National Highway.

The disruption caused difficulties for travellers heading to Jalalpur Pirwala and Shujabad tehsils in the Multan district.

Severe traffic jams were also reported near several interchanges after the motorway closure, including Zahir Pir, Uch Sharif, Jhangra, Jalalpur Pirwala and Shujabad.

The NHMP spokesperson said the decision to close part of M-5 was taken to ensure the safety of motorists as visibility had significantly dropped in the affected area.

He said that lane violations during fog could lead to serious accidents, urging motorists to strictly follow lane discipline.

He also advised the public to travel between 10am and 6pm during foggy conditions, use fog lights, avoid unnecessary travel, maintain a safe distance from other vehicles, and refrain from overspeeding.

Weather update

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has forecast fog in several parts of Punjab from today through Thursday, including Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore.

Foggy conditions are also expected in Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha and Jhelum on Wednesday and Thursday.

However, according to the Met Office website, no fog alert had been issued for the M-5 motorway until at least 11pm.

In January, dense fog had also caused travel disruptions in several parts of Punjab, leading to the closure of certain motorway sections.

Multiple flights were delayed, cancelled or diverted, and rail operations were also affected due to heavy fog.