Several motorists lost their lives and around 30 people were hospitalized Monday after a pile-up caused by a sandstorm in Illinois.
The series of collisions, involving 40 to 60 cars and about 20 heavy trucks — two of which caught fire — occurred around 11 a.m. local time on Highway 55 in Montgomery County, south of the state capital Springfield.
A state police spokesman, Ryan Starrick, told local media in the afternoon that a partial death toll had been reported and around 30 people were hospitalized.
According to the US National Weather Service, winds of 55 to 70 km/h swept through the region, kicking up a wall of dust that significantly reduced visibility.
Interstate 55 in southern Sangamon and northern Montgomery counties remains closed in both directions due to numerous accidents caused by a dust storm that severely reduced visibility. (image above @wics_abc20) pic.twitter.com/rYbWKndJa6
— IDOT_Illinois (@IDOT_Illinois) May 1, 2023
“It looked like snow when I sent videos to my kids. And it felt like the end of the world,” Karen Leach, a motorist caught in the storm, told ABC News.
The Illinois Department of Transportation has identified locations to accommodate motorists searching for loved ones missing in the storm. The Red Cross has also been called upon to help worried people find loved ones.