A large cloud of fog surrounding a highway led to at least 158 car crashes and seven deaths in the southern US state of Louisiana, authorities said on Monday.
The so-called “super fog,” which US media reported was generated by a mixture of marsh fires and dense fog, led to a tremendous pileup on Interstate 55, roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) outside of New Orleans, the Louisiana State Police said in a statement.
Images posted by the police showed both lanes of the highway bridge where the incident happened blocked off by the wreckage, which included dozens of charred vehicles.
A fire had erupted on the highway, police said.
One vehicle appeared to have driven off the bridge and into the water below.
More than 25 people were taken to hospital, not counting the “many victims (who) sought medical assistance on their own.”
According to the National Weather Service, Super fogs form “when a mixture of smoke and moisture released from damp smoldering organic material such as brush, leaves, and trees, mixes with cooler, nearly saturated air.”
When they happen, visibility can fall to less than 10 feet (three meters).
