blizzard car
One person was reported to be dead and several others were injured in a multiple car pile-up on New York State Thruway in Lancaster, near Buffalo, Tuesday. Here, a vehicle moves through the West Village during a winter storm in New York, Feb. 9, 2017. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images

Numerous vehicles were involved in a pile up which occurred on the eastbound New York State Thruway in Lancaster near Buffalo, Tuesday, which resulted in the death of one person and 11 others getting injured.

According to a report by WIVB, a CBS-affiliated television station, the pile up took place around 2:30 p.m. UTC (9.30 a.m. EST), Tuesday. According to the Lancaster Emergency Management, at least 75 vehicles were involved in the incident. The Erie County Executive’s Office stated that at least 22 vehicles were a part of the incident.

According to a video posted on Facebook by Kadire Flowers who can be seen going in the opposite direction on the Thruway, multiple vehicles which included trucks and cars stood static on the road due to the pile up as the blizzard wind flew at a high velocity.

Close inspection shows the bonnet of one of the cars open and bent which might be the sign of an accident taking place. Police vehicles could be seen on the opposite side of the road too.

According to another video posted on Twitter by a user named Jake Boyce, people are seen coming out of their cars in a bid to help each other during the incident.

Erie County Executive, Mark Poloncarz, issued a travel advisory for the North Erie County which included Buffalo, Lancaster and Alden among other areas, due to a blizzard hazard issued by the National Weather Service, Tuesday.

According to the weather forecast, the blizzard would result in zero visibility with winds blowing at approximately 45 mph.

According to a tweet by New York State Police, all the lanes on the eastbound 1-90 Thruway were blocked due to the accident.

Poloncarz also stated that seven volunteer fire departments along with the Erie County Department of Emergency Services and the Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) were at the place of the incident in order to help.

According to a reporter of WIVB television who contacted Bowmansville Volunteer Fire Association, one of the fire departments operating at the scene of the incident, 11 people were taken to hospitals due to injuries.

WIVB reporter, Chris Horvatis in a series of tweets reported about his conversation with a fire chief of Bowmansville Fire Department. It was learned that the Garden Place Hotel situated on Transit Road, Williamsville, New York, was being used to shelter the people instead of Harris Hill Nursing Facility which was apparently being used before.

The fire chief also reportedly told Horvatis, that first responders had to do two extrications from vehicles in order to get out two people who were trapped inside their vehicles for a long time.

According to the WIVB report, Lancaster police made use of Lancaster School District buses in order to rescue the stranded people and then took them to Salvatore’s Italian Gardens restaurant on Transit Road for shelter.

Officials stated that the weather was a "huge factor" in the pile up.

According to Poloncarz's latest update, the Thruway was cleared on both sides after the issue was resolved. The situation was termed "cleared" and traffic was "normal."

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