May 1, 2023, 20:41 PM
May 1, 2023, 20:41 PM
A dust storm in the northern United States sparked a massive pile-up on a highway Monday, killing at least six people and injuring about 30, authorities said.
Images of the devastation showed the smoking remains of dozens of vehicles, including long trucks, stacked one after the other, and other cars parked to the side on the grass. A scene saturated by the presence of ocher dust.
six people died and, in all, “more than 30 people” have been taken to the hospital, Illinois police said.
The accident happened on Monday around 11:00 a.m. local time on the highway that connects the cities of San Luis and Chicago.
The cars collided for about two miles and on both sides of the highway near the town of Farmersville.
“Almost 30 commercial vehicles and between 40 and 60 cars are involved. This includes two semi-trucks that caught fire due to the collisions,” police added.
This type of multiple crashes “It is due to strong winds blowing dust from agricultural fields onto the road, causing zero visibility,” the statement said.
In July 2021, eight people died in a crash chain caused by a sandstorm in Utah, in the west of the country.
