ISLAMABAD: Dense fog shrouded parts of Pakistan and forced authorities to partially and fully close multiple motorway sections, a motorway police spokesman said late Sunday.
The development came as thick fog enveloped parts of the eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces reducing visibility and increasing chances of accidents on highways.
Consequently, the M-11 motorway between Lahore and Sialkot was closed, while heavy vehicles were barred from traveling on M-5 motorway from Punjab’s Multan to Rohri in Sindh.
“Citizens should prioritize travel during daytime,” Syed Imran Ahmed, a spokesman for motorway police, said in a statement. “Safe travel times in fog are from 10am to 6pm.”
Authorities earlier closed M-2 motorway from Thokar Niaz Baig to Kot Momin, the M-3 motorway section from Faizpur to Darkhana and the M-4 section from Pindi Bhattiyan to Abdul Hakeem. However, these motorway sections were reopened for traffic as visibility improved around 10am on Sunday.
Also on Sunday, six international flights bound for Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi were diverted to Muscat and Islamabad as dense fog surrounded the metropolis, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said.
