Photo: Courtesy Skook News
At least three people died and many more were injured after a masspileuptook place during a snow squall in Pennsylvania on Monday, according to local officials.
The snow squall led to clouded visibility before the accident on Interstate 81 in Northeast Pennsylvania on Monday morning, officials told theAssociatedPress,The New York Times,NBC Newsand local outletSkook News.
“The road conditions when the squall came through contributed to the accident,” John Blickley, a spokesman for the office, told theTimes.
John Mika of the Schuylkill County Coroner’s Office, which did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, toldNBC NewsandCNNthat three people died following the crash.
According to a statement from the Schuylkill County Office of Emergency Management, around 40 vehicles were involved in the incident in the northbound lanes and 24 people were taken to the hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known.
Courtesy Skook News
Officials initially closed the freeway but have since reopened southbound lanes.
The Pennsylvania State Police — which is handling the investigation — said in acrash reportthat there were “numerous vehicles” on fire.
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One driver captureda clip of the chain reaction of the crash, showing tractor-trailers and cars skidding off the road.
The pileup caused traffic to stop on the freeway, making the emergency response more difficult, according to theTimes.
Monday’s multi-carcollisionis the second pileup in Schuylkill County in just over a month, according to the outlet. On Feb. 19, five people were injured in a similar incident near McAdoo.
source: people.com
