Passersby took advantage of a fatal road accident in this Uttar Pradesh district on Wednesday by stealing chickens from a pickup truck, with some of them riding away on their two-wheelers.

A 35-year-old man died and six people suffered injuries in a multi-vehicle pre-dawn pileup on a national highway amid reduced visibility due to fog, police said.

Videos purporting to show some men taking the chickens from the pickup truck, which was involved in the pileup, and fleeing on two-wheelers and on foot also surfaced on social media.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Agra City) Suraj Kumar Rai said the accident occurred around 3 am on the Shahdara Bridge in the Trans-Yamuna area due to fog.

"Of the seven victims, one died and four are still undergoing treatment. All the damaged vehicles have been removed from the road except for one whose axle broke down and needs repairs. Normal traffic has resumed on the stretch," he said.

Asked about the chickens being stolen, Rai said the local police station is awaiting a formal complaint. Once that is received, an investigation will be launched.

An official of the local Trans-Yamuna police station told PTI that the person who died in the accident was identified as Kanpur native Umesh Chandra, who was driving one of the vehicles involved in the pileup.

On the incident involving the chickens, the official said the pickup truck was headed to the nearby Aliganj area and then towards Kanpur.

"Some of the chickens on the pickup also died in the accident. The owner of the poultry reached the spot and witnessed the episode," the official added.

Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday recorded multiple vehicle pile-ups on expressways and highways in different parts of the state amid reduced visibility due to fog, leading to at least four deaths and injuries to more than a dozen people.

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