At Least 8 People Die After Sandstorm Causes Crash Involving 22 Cars in Utah
Utah Highway Patrol
At least eight people were killed, including several children, and 10 were injured after a sandstorm in Utah caused a series of car crashes on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Ground and air ambulances were called to a 22-vehicle pileup on Interstate 15 near Fillmore after high winds created a sand or dust storm that obstructed the view of drivers around 4:30 p.m., the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a press release.
Five of the eight people killed were in the same vehicle, and two others were in a second vehicle, the release said. An additional fatality was traveling in a third car. Victims were transported to a local hospital.
Utah Highway Patrol
"We have vehicles all over. Several vehicles tried to swerve off the roadway. We have vehicles that are flipped up on their sides," Sgt. Cameron Roden with the Utah Highway Patrol told CBS affiliate KUTV. "One of the vehicles that was pulling a trailer, the trailer has pretty much completely been destroyed and is on the freeway."
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Utah Highway Patrol
The highway was partially shut down following the incident, according to the release.
"I can't remember in recent memory of [a crash] being this large, with this many vehicles and this many fatalities," Roden told KUTV.
The names of the victims will not be released until 24 hours after next of kin are notified, the release said.
