28 November 2004	Sunday	15 Shawwal 1425

ISLAMABAD, Nov 27: Three persons were killed and 17 injured in separate incidents on the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M-2) due to poor visibility in dense fog, forcing its temporary closure, police said.

Deputy Inspector General of Motorway Police Abdul Hafiz Bangash said M-2 was closed from 11:15pm on Friday till 7:15am on Saturday as visibility from Bhera to Lahore was only around two feet.

He said since safety of the travellers was foremost, it was decided to close the road. However, traffic on the M2-Islamabad- Burhan would remain open, he added.

The accidents, Mr Bangash said, in the wee hours of Saturday occurred mostly between Pindi Bhattian and Sukheki village due to heavy fog. However, the situation on the G. T. Road was relatively better with lesser areas under fog.

The DIG said following closure of the Motorway, the vehicles were diverted to service areas where they stayed till the fog cleared. Police also reduced speed on the Lahore-Faisalabad (M-3) section and advised people to be extra careful.

He advised the motorists, including drivers of public transport vehicles, to travel with headlights switched on to low beam. He said all vehicles must use front and rear fog lights and also turn on their hazard lights at all times.

He asked the motorists not to exceed speeds of 50km and strictly maintain distance from other vehicles.

Met Office Director Ghulam Qadir Malik said the fog was likely to persist for next two days and would cover vast areas in the Punjab including the major cities like Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Sargodha, Jhelum, Bhawalpur and Mianwali.

Travel on roads from 6pm to 10am should be avoided as fog would be thickest and can pose serious risks due to low visibility, he added.

The Met office director said low temperatures, heavy vegetation and dust particles suspended in moisture were the main causes of heavy fog.

12 VEHICLES DAMAGED: At least 12 vehicles were damaged in separate road accidents on M-2 between Pindi Bhattian and Sukheki village due to zero visibility. Police said the motorway was closed for a short period due to the fog, while the traffic flow was also interrupted due to the accidents.

TRAIN, FLIGHT SCHEDULE: Heavy fog on Saturday disturbed the train and flight schedule, delaying trains by upto seven hours and flights upto five hours.

The dense fog which descended over large areas of the Punjab on Friday night, affected the trains on Karachi-Peshawar section and those running through Lahore.

Pakistan Railway officials said all trains passing through Lahore had been delayed. The Rohri Express from Khanpur was delayed by around seven hours.

Around six flights from Lahore were delayed by upto eight hours, while Quetta-Islamabad and Sukkur-Lahore-Islamabad flights were cancelled.-APP