By Abimbola Ogunnaike
No fewer than six people died and more than 30 others were injured in a dust storm that caused pileups from vehicle crashes on a highway in U.S. Midwest state of Illinois on Monday, 1 May, 2023.
State police troopers responded to numerous crashes about 11 a.m. Monday on both directions of I-55 in Montgomery County, south of Springfield, capital of Illinois, the Chicago Tribune quoted the police as saying Monday, 1 May, 2023.
About 20 commercial motor vehicles and 40 to 60 passenger cars were involved in the crashes, including two tractor-trailers that caught fire.
The crashes were caused by “excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway leading to zero visibility,” police said. I-55 is currently shut down in both directions.
State police are investigating.