At least 8 killed, 10 injured after sandstorm causes 22-vehicle pileup on Utah highway
At least eight people are dead and 10 injured after a sandstorm kicked up enough dust to obscure vision and cause a 22-vehicle pileup on a Utah highway, authorities said Sunday.
It was actually a “series of crashes,” state police said, caused by high winds that kicked up a “sand or dust storm and impaired visibility on the roadway.”
The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. on Interstate 15 near Fillmore, about two hours south of Salt Lake City.
Five of the eight people killed in the crash were traveling in one vehicle. Two others who were killed were traveling together in another vehicle. One fatality was from a third vehicle, the Utah Highway Patrol said.
Four of the deceased were adults and the other four were children under 15 years old.
Three of the injured persons are in critical condition. The others suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Troopers from Richfield and Beaver assisted the Utah Highway Patrol, with “multiple ground and air ambulances” responding as well, the highway patrol said.
The highway was shut down for a time, and traffic was rerouted. Southbound traffic in the area was shut down until early Monday morning.
Authorities said they would release victim names 24 hours after their next of kin had been notified.
