Global Courant 2023-05-02 02:22:42
A blinding dust storm is responsible for congestion on Interstate 55 in rural Illinois that led to “multiple fatalities” and more than 30 people hospitalized Monday, officials said.
The collisions involving as many as 80 vehicles on the highway north of Farmersville were reported just before 11 a.m. and included separate pile-ups on the north and south sides, an Illinois state police officer said.
“The cause of the crash is due to excessive winds blowing debris from farm fields across the highway, causing no visibility,” State Police Major Ryan Starrick said at an afternoon news conference.
An exact number of fatalities was not available, but the major said another press conference is scheduled for early evening.
The collisions involved two large trucks that had been on fire, about 18 other commercial vehicles and as many as 60 passenger cars, Starrick said.
The first pile-up was reported on the northern side of the highway, which crosses farmland. The major said that the topsoil and dust from the farms were blown over the road.
“This is not uncommon,” Starrick said. “This has happened before in several parts of the state of Illinois.”
However, he said the number of vehicles involved and casualties was unusual.
The National Weather Service predicted “widespread blowing dust,” with wind gusts of 34 mph possible, for the Farmersville area on Monday. The wind was from the northwest, federal forecasters said.
State police said visibility in the area remained poor. The highway was closed in both directions north of Farmersville, a small village along a defunct stretch of Route 66, as investigators attempted to reconstruct part of the timeline and conduct a secondary search for victims.
Starrick said the highway could be closed until Tuesday afternoon.
“At this point, we feel we have safely transported everyone off the highway,” the major said.
State police said in a statement that motorists were being urged to seek alternate routes.
This is a developing story, check back later for updates.
Ava Kelley and Bryan Gallion contributed.
