At least seven people died after a “super fog” of smoke from swamp fires and thick fog caused huge pileups on a Louisiana highway.
Another 25 people were injured and the death toll could rise as first responders work to clear I-55 overnight.
Drone footage and videos showed apocalyptic scenes after the accidents, showing a long stretch of mangled and burned cars near New Orleans.
Vehicles were crushed, rammed into each other and some burst into flames. Many people initially stood on the side of the road or on the roof of their vehicle and looked at the disaster in disbelief, while others called for help.
At least seven people died Monday after a “super fog” of smoke from swamp fires in southern Louisiana and thick fog caused several serious car crashes involving a total of 158 vehicles
Drone footage and videos showed apocalyptic scenes after the crashes, showing a long stretch of mangled and burned cars on Interstate 55 near New Orleans
Vehicles were crushed, rammed into each other and some burst into flames
As soon as the #Superfog clarified the extent of the #stack up on I-55 west of New Orleans could be caught by air…
The extent of the damage is enormous, with car fires and cars sliding off the bridge. Unfortunately, we are hearing about deaths as a result of the pile-up. pic.twitter.com/hJOT5VtzRV
– WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) October 23, 2023
As firefighters trudged through the rubble, piles of deformed cars still lay on the highway, stacked on top of each other as the sun set.
Hours after the accidents, the smell of burnt debris still lingered in the area.
Christopher Coll, 41, was one of the drivers in one of the pile-ups. Coll could smell smoke as he heard the sounds of cars crashing and tires bursting.
“I was already on the brakes and slowing down when an F-250 hit my work trailer and took me,” Coll told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.
He managed to push open the passenger door to escape and then helped others by pulling a person out through a car window.
Clarencia Patterson Reed was also in the wave of car wrecks as she drove to Manchac with her wife and niece.
Reed told the newspaper she saw people waving at her to stop, but as she did so, her car was hit from behind and the side by two other vehicles.
“It was ‘boom.’ ‘Boom.’ All you heard was it banging for at least 30 minutes,” Reed said.
Emergency responders are seen near debris after a pileup on I-55 in Manchac
Workers remove heavily damaged vehicles from Interstate 55 Monday afternoon
A vehicle is seen in the water below Interstate 55 near Manchac
The storm turned I-55 near New Orleans into a cramped junkyard full of destroyed cars and trucks, some of which burned. (Brett Duke/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Emergency responders are seen near debris after a pileup on I-55 in Manchac
A “super fog” in Louisiana caused a pileup on I-55 near New Orleans after visibility was severely reduced, according to police.
Gov. John Bel Edwards confirmed there were fatalities in the crash but did not say how many people were killed or injured. https://t.co/iH0E5sVdio pic.twitter.com/Zg3YourS75v
– ABC News (@ABC) October 23, 2023
She was able to climb out of her car, but her wife became trapped inside and injured her leg and side.
While 25 people were hospitalized with minor to serious injuries, many others sought medical help themselves, according to authorities.
Gov. John Bel Edwards on Monday asked for prayers “for those injured and killed” and called for blood donors to replenish dwindling supplies.
The Louisiana State Police posted aerial photos on its Facebook page showing the crashed cars and extensive debris in the north and southbound lanes of the elevated highway that passes over swamp and open water between Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas.
As of Monday afternoon, state troopers were still working to “notify families, investigate the exact causes of the accidents” and coordinate with the state’s transportation department to have the bridge inspected.
Gov. John Bel Edwards on Monday asked for prayers “for those injured and killed” and called for blood donors to replenish dwindling supplies
The Louisiana State Police posted aerial photos on its Facebook page showing the crashed cars and extensive debris in the north and southbound lanes of the elevated highway that passes over swamp and open water between Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas
As of Monday afternoon, state troopers were still working to “notify families, investigate the exact causes of the accidents” and coordinate with the state’s transportation department to have the bridge inspected
As firefighters trudged through the rubble, piles of deformed cars still lay on the highway, stacked on top of each other as the sun set
Traffic was backed up for miles in both directions on I-55. The lack of visibility also temporarily closed portions of I-10 and the 24-mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.
School buses were called to transport stranded motorists from the accident scenes.
At noon, state police told reporters at the scene that a vehicle went over the highway guardrail and into the water, but the driver escaped uninjured.
A tanker truck that was carrying a dangerous liquid must be unloaded from the scene of the accident.
Once the truck was removed, officials said first responders would be able to better assess the scene of the accident.
A “super fog” of smoke from swamp fires in southern Louisiana and thick morning fog caused several traffic accidents involving numerous cars
In this aerial photo, emergency responders can be seen near the rubble following a multi-vehicle pileup
Several schools in and around New Orleans announced canceled classes or delayed openings because of the smoke and fog
Low clouds and fog were visible across southern Louisiana this morning. These are the yellow colored clouds in this image.
Northwest of New Orleans, dense fog combined with smoke from swamp fires resulted in super fog that reduced visibility to just a few feet in some areas. pic.twitter.com/tx3KQAvsuz
– CIRA (@CIRA_CSU) October 23, 2023
On social media the The National Weather Service said There were several wetland fires in the region.
Smoke from the fires mixed with fog to create a “super fog.” According to the agency, visibility improved as the fog cleared.
But it was unclear how long the swamp fires, whose smoke could be seen and smelled in the New Orleans area over the weekend, would last.
Several schools in and near New Orleans announced canceled classes or delayed openings because of the smoke and fog.
The smoke from the Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge was so thick that the city announced locations where free masks could be picked up in eastern New Orleans and the Algiers neighborhood on the west bank of the Mississippi.