There were at least 158 crashes on Interstate 55 in the southern state of Louisiana.
WASHINGTON: A large cloud of fog enveloping a highway led to at least 158 car crashes and seven deaths in the southern US state of Louisiana, authorities said today.
The so-called “super fog”, which US media reported was caused by a mixture of marsh fires and dense fog, led to a massive pileup on Interstate 55, about 48km outside of New Orleans, the Louisiana state police said in a statement. Photos posted by the police showed both lanes of the highway bridge where the incident occurred blocked off by the wreckage, which included dozens of charred vehicles.One vehicle appeared to have driven off the bridge and into the water below.
More than 25 people were taken to hospital, not counting the “many victims sought medical assistance on their own”. Super fogs form “when a mixture of smoke and moisture released from damp smoldering organic material such as brush, leaves and trees, mixes with cooler, nearly saturated air”, according to the national weather service.Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.