Due to multiple accidents and poor visibility caused by blowing dust, a 27-mile stretch of I-55 in Illinois is presently closed, and all lanes are inaccessible.
Multiple people were reported killed and dozens of other people wounded in the car crashes along, state police said.
Roughly 40 to 60 passenger cars and several big-rig trucks were involved in the crashes shortly after 11 a.m. CT (1200 ET), an Illinois State Police spokesman said during an afternoon press conference.
Some 30 people were transported to local hospitals with injuries, the spokesman said. Two of the trucks caught fire and it was possible one of them had exploded.
As per the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency, ten helicopters have been summoned to the location, and thirty-seven ambulances have been dispatched from Montgomery, Macoupin, Sangamon, and Christian Counties.
Moreover, a nearby school has dispatched school buses to retrieve stranded motorists trapped on the highway.
Authorities report that low visibility is caused by the blowing dust.
