New Orleans 'super fog' leaves at least two dead and dozens injured in multiple pile-ups
Sky News
Mon, 23 October 2023
At least two people are dead and 30 injured after so-called "super fog" caused more than two dozen traffic pile-ups on a US highway.
Around 25 collisions happened on the I-55 west of New Orleans in southeastern Louisiana, St John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre, told CNN.
A mixture of dense fog and smoke from marsh fires combined to create the "super fog", which descended on Monday morning's rush hour, drastically lowering visibility for drivers.
Two people died, Sheriff Tregre confirmed on Monday afternoon, while fires broke out in both the northbound and southbound carriageways between Ruddock and Manchac and traffic backed up for miles in both directions.
In the northbound lanes, about three 18-wheel trucks collided and were fully engulfed in flames, Mr Tregre told TV station, WVUE.
In the southbound lanes, there were two reported multi-car pile-ups, one of which also caused a fire.
Videos taken by people on the highway showed how it had become a narrow junkyard of mangled cars and trucks, some of them burning.
One driver survived after his vehicle left an elevated section of the road, landing upside down in several feet of water below, WVUE said.
Mr Tregre said all first responders arrived on foot because the crashes left the area "completely gridlocked".
Rescue efforts, he said, "will take a while".
Parts of Interstates 55 and 10 west of New Orleans remained closed late Monday morning and the 24-mile-long causeway over Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans was closed at times.
The National Weather Service said on social media there were several wetland fires in the region and smoke from the fires mixed with fog to create a "super fog".
Visibility was expected to improve as the fog lifted, but it was unclear how long the marsh fires, smoke from which could be seen and smelled in the New Orleans area over the weekend, would continue to affect traffic.
Several local schools cancelled classes, the Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate said.
The Blood Centre of New Orleans asked for blood donors in the wake of the accidents.
Sky News
Mon, 23 October 2023
At least two people are dead and 30 injured after so-called "super fog" caused more than two dozen traffic pile-ups on a US highway.
Around 25 collisions happened on the I-55 west of New Orleans in southeastern Louisiana, St John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre, told CNN.
A mixture of dense fog and smoke from marsh fires combined to create the "super fog", which descended on Monday morning's rush hour, drastically lowering visibility for drivers.
Two people died, Sheriff Tregre confirmed on Monday afternoon, while fires broke out in both the northbound and southbound carriageways between Ruddock and Manchac and traffic backed up for miles in both directions.
In the northbound lanes, about three 18-wheel trucks collided and were fully engulfed in flames, Mr Tregre told TV station, WVUE.
In the southbound lanes, there were two reported multi-car pile-ups, one of which also caused a fire.
Videos taken by people on the highway showed how it had become a narrow junkyard of mangled cars and trucks, some of them burning.
One driver survived after his vehicle left an elevated section of the road, landing upside down in several feet of water below, WVUE said.
Mr Tregre said all first responders arrived on foot because the crashes left the area "completely gridlocked".
Rescue efforts, he said, "will take a while".
Parts of Interstates 55 and 10 west of New Orleans remained closed late Monday morning and the 24-mile-long causeway over Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans was closed at times.
The National Weather Service said on social media there were several wetland fires in the region and smoke from the fires mixed with fog to create a "super fog".
Visibility was expected to improve as the fog lifted, but it was unclear how long the marsh fires, smoke from which could be seen and smelled in the New Orleans area over the weekend, would continue to affect traffic.
Several local schools cancelled classes, the Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate said.
The Blood Centre of New Orleans asked for blood donors in the wake of the accidents.
Tony Diver
Mon, 23 October 2023
A portion of the road caught fire and totaled a tanker truck carrying 'hazardous liquid' - Reuters
Seven people have been killed and dozens more injured after a “super fog” descended on a Louisiana highway, causing a 158-car pileup.
The fog, which is created when smoke from smouldering undergrowth mixes with cooler air and water vapour, covered Interstate 55 near New Orleans on Monday morning, reducing visibility to near zero.
State police said a major crash of more than 158 vehicles had caused a portion of the road to catch fire and totaled a tanker truck carrying “hazardous liquid”.
Seven deaths have been confirmed but police said more casualties may be discovered as emergency services comb through the wreckage. More than 25 people have been taken to hospital.
The crash took place in St John the Baptist Parish, northwest of New Orleans, on an interstate next to Lake Pontchartrain, the second largest inland saltwater body in the United States.
The road runs through a swap where smouldering material is understood to have produced smoke and water vapour, which mixed with colder air to create the “super fog”.
More than four fifths of Louisiana is currently experiencing extreme drought, which has caused dry marshland to catch fire.
According to the US National Weather Service (NWS), the smoke can be produced from “organic material such as brush, leaves and trees”, and reduces visibility to less than ten feet (three metres) when it becomes fog.
“Under light wind conditions, super fog meanders through low terrain areas such as creek beds or drainage ditches,” the NWS said.
“Super fog can be very dangerous when present over highways, and has been the cause of several large, multi-vehicle pileups.”
The service released a dense fog warning for much of southeast Louisiana, including the area between Baton Rouge and New Orleans where the crash took place.
A police spokesman said that first responders “continue to search for victims of the crash”.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that at least 158 vehicles were involved in this morning’s crash,” the spokesman said.
“That total is from both north and southbound lanes. Seven fatalities have been confirmed.
“Over 25 individuals were transported to area hospitals with varying degrees of injuries from critical to minor. Many victims sought medical assistance on their own.”
“It is possible that additional fatalities could be located.”
John Bel Edwards, the Louisiana governor, said: “The combination of wildfire smoke and dense fog is dangerous, and I want to encourage all Louisianans in affected areas to take extreme caution when travelling.”
No comments:
Post a Comment