The death toll from a series of fire-response crashes involving dozens of vehicles across the Dhaka interstate in a fog in southeastern Missouri has risen to six, officials say.
Charleston, Md. – The death toll in a series of fire-response accidents involving dozens of vehicles over a fog-covered interstate in southeastern Missouri has risen to six, officials said Friday.
Mississippi State Highway Patrol Sergeant Mississippi County Corona confirmed a sixth death overnight, following reports of five deaths and several injuries in the pileup on Thursday. Dr. Jeff Kinder.
Clashes began around 8 a.m. Thursday on Interstate 57 as the Charleston area, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) south of St. Louis, was covered in thick fog. The first pileup began in the southbound lanes, “then moved to the northbound lanes,” Kinder said, adding that 47 vehicles – including several semitrailers – were stuck in the rubble.
“It was a horrible sight,” Kinder said. “The wreckage area itself was a mile and a half long.”
From the Missouri-Illinois border to the Missouri-Illinois border to Sexton, Missouri, there were about 25 miles (40 kilometers) of interstate closures on both sides. The interstate reopened at 4:30 a.m. Friday, Kinder said.
The names of those who died are expected to be released later Friday, Kinder said.