© via Portal/LOUISIANA STATE POLICE
158 vehicles collide on a highway in the US state of Louisiana. Some vehicles caught fire. At least seven people died.
At least seven people died in an accident in dense fog involving a total of 158 vehicles in the US state of Louisiana. At least 25 other people were injured, some of them seriously.
They were taken to hospitals after the pileup west of New Orleans on Monday, state police said.
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More fatalities possible
It is possible that more deaths will be found.
Part of the crash site on Interstate 55 caught fire, in part because a tanker truck loaded with a dangerous liquid caught fire. Once the vehicle is recovered, the situation can be better assessed.
Meteorologists speak of a “super nebula”
Photos released by police show a debris field of destroyed cars pushed into each other on both sides of the road. The stretch of highway passes between Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain.
According to CNN, meteorologists spoke of a “super fog” that spread among communities on Monday morning Rudock It is Manchac Visibility was severely impaired at the time of the pileup.
The “incredibly dense fog” was caused by a combination of fog and smoke from nearby fires, according to the National Weather Service.
“Super fog” is particularly dense fog that develops in humid, smoky conditions and can reduce visibility to less than 10 feet, the National Weather Service said.
The rescue work will take a while
There were several accidents, as reported by CNN. In one of them, several trucks collided and caught fire, the station cited. Mike Tregre, Sheriff of St. John the Baptist Parish. A vehicle was pushed over the guardrail on the interstate, but the occupants appeared to be OK. The rescue work would likely “take a while.”
Louisiana has been battling unprecedented wildfires, extreme heat and severe drought since the summer. Sixty-two percent of the state is experiencing exceptional drought, the highest category, CNN reported. The city of New Orleans said a lack of rain combined with extreme summer heat has dried out marshes and reduced groundwater levels. A fire monitored in forested wetlands is burning at and below the surface.
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