Reduced visibility due to fog resulted in the collision of six trailer trucks on the Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M5) on Tuesday, leaving seven people injured, according to Rescue 1122.
A section of the motorway (M5) from Zahir Pir in Rahim Yar Khan to the Multan Sher Shah Interchange — near which the collision took place — was also briefly closed in the morning due to fog hampering visibility.
According to a statement by the Rescue 1122, trucks being driven on the motorway collided with stationary ones due to fog.
Separately, Multan Rescue 1122 spokesperson Arshad Hussain told Dawn that the collision had taken place between six trucks.
The rescue service’s statement further detailed that seven people were injured in the accident, of whom two were taken out of a truck during a rescue operation.
Traffic diverted due to closure
National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) spokesperson Imran Shah earlier confirmed to Dawn that the M5 was closed from the Multan Sher Shah Interchange to Zahir Pir in Rahim Yar Khan between 6am and 11:30am due to foggy conditions.
The M5 is part of the Lahore–Karachi Motorway network and is operational up to Sukkur. Tuesday’s temporary closure forced thousands of travellers to shift to the National Highway to reach their destinations.
Following the closure, traffic was diverted onto the National Highway from Zahir Pir to Uch Sharif, Alipur and Muzaffargarh to access Multan and Rahim Yar Khan.
The disruption inconvenienced commuters travelling to Jalalpur Pirwala and Shujabad tehsils of Multan district.
Heavy traffic congestion was also reported near several interchanges, including Zahir Pir, Uch Sharif, Jhangra, Jalalpur Pirwala and Shujabad, after the motorway closure.
In a statement released earlier in the day, the NHMP spokesperson said the decision to close a section of the M5 was taken to ensure the safety of motorists as visibility had dropped significantly along the affected stretch.
The spokesperson said lane violations during fog could lead to serious accidents and urged motorists to strictly adhere to lane discipline.
