Louisiana - 158-car pileup in extreme fog and smoke on Interstate 55 near Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain, at least 7 killed - 23 Oct 2023

[ifindedout]

‘Superfog' kills at least 7 and causes 158 cars to crash on Louisiana highway

It sounds like a scene from a horror, but a "superfog" really did cause death and chaos on a Louisiana highway on Monday.

www.nbcbayarea.com

Twenty-five people were injured and the number of fatalities may increase as first responders work into the night clearing the scenes and searching for victims, Louisiana State Police said in a statement Monday evening.

Videos of apocalyptic type scenes from the aftermath of the wrecks showed a long stretch of mangled and scorched cars on Interstate 55 near New Orleans. Vehicles were crushed, rammed under one another and some engulfed by flames. Many people initially stood on the side of the road or on the roof of their vehicle looking in disbelief at the disaster, while others cried out for help.

Piles of disformed cars, heaped on top of one another as firefighters trudged through the debris, remained on the interstate as the sun set. Hours after the crashes, the smell of burnt wreckage still wafted in the area.

ETA:

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[imstilla.grandma]

“Preliminary investigation revealed that at least 158 vehicles were involved in this morning’s crash,” the spokesman said.

“That total is from both north and southbound lanes. Seven fatalities have been confirmed.

“Over 25 individuals were transported to area hospitals with varying degrees of injuries from critical to minor. Many victims sought medical assistance on their own.”

“It is possible that additional fatalities could be located.”

'Super fog' causes deadly 158-car pileup in Louisiana

The road runs through a swap where burning material is understood to have produced smoke and water vapour

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[Marysmith]

What a nightmare!

 

[ifindedout]

Now 8 dead, 63 injured, over 160 vehicles involved.

Toll rises to 8 dead, 63 hurt from Louisiana interstate pileup blamed on dense fog, marsh fire smoke

The toll from a fiery pileup in dense fog on a Louisiana interstate has risen to eight dead and 63 injured. Authorities announced the new totals Tuesday evening, a day after Monday's “super fog” of marsh fire smoke and fog snared more than 160 vehicles in the pileup on Interstate 55.

apnews.com

Lance Scott was among the many drivers caught in the wreckage on Interstate 55 west of New Orleans. The 51-year-old had been driving his daughter to the airport Monday morning when the fog thickened like a “white-out on a ski slope.” He slammed on his brakes, narrowly avoiding the cars in front of him while hearing “the most horrendous clank of metal” behind him.

“It was, ’Bang. Bang. Bang.’ It just went on... for probably 45 seconds,” Scott said. “As every second went by the clanking of the metal got a little bit fainter, which told me it was backing up — so I knew there was layers and layers of collisions.”

Scott turned to his 24-year-old daughter, an intensive care unit nurse, and said to her, “There’s going to be a lot of people who need help and I need you to go out and do what you do.”