Illinois Dust Storm Leaves 6 Dead, Multiple Injured In Massive Highway Pileup

At least six people were killed and more than 30 were injured in a series of crashes in central Illinois after a rare dust storm caused "zero visibility" conditions on the highway.

The collisions took place on a two-mile stretch in Farmersville, south of Springfield in Sangamon County, just before 11 a.m. Monday, according to a statement from Illinois State Police. About 20 commercial vehicles and 40-60 cars were involved in the crashes, along with two tractor-trailers that caught fire. At least 37 people, from 2 years to 80 years old, were taken to nearby hospitals after suffering minor to life-threatening injuries, NBC News reported.

State police identified one person who died in the accident as 88-year-old Shirley Harper of Franklin, Wisconsin. The Montgomery County Coroner's Office is trying to identify the other five people.

"The cause of the crash is due to excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway leading to zero visibility," Illinois State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick said at a news conference.

The collisions happened on both north and southbound lanes, while the deaths were reported on northbound lanes, Starrick noted.

Officers from the Environmental Protection Agency reached the scene to manage the spillage from some diesel trucks on the highway.

"This is a difficult scene, something that is very hard to train for, something that we really haven't experienced locally," Kevin Schott, the director of Montgomery County's emergency management agency, said at a news conference. "We had to search every vehicle, whether they were involved in the accident or just pulled over, to check for injuries."

Pointing out that the number of casualties was unusual, Schott said it was difficult for officers to reach the injured after some vehicles caught fire.

Interstate 55 in southern Sangamon and northern Montgomery counties remained closed Monday as police investigated the scene and cleared vehicles.

Excessive high winds and dust storms came rapidly from farms onto the roadway, reducing visibility in the area, CBS Chicago reported. Ben Deubelbeiss, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said dust storms are rare in central Illinois. They result from a combination of meteorological conditions and human activities.

Winds gust was between 35 mph and 45 mph Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

Following the incident, authorities advised drivers in the region to turn on the hazard lights if they face heavy winds and dust storms.

Leyla Arsan, a Chicago resident, told New York Times she was driving along Interstate 55 when she noticed dust and smoke on the highway. Despite the high winds, Arsan revealed cars were not slowing down and "trucks were fishtailing left and right."

"At this time we feel we have everyone transported safely off the interstate," Officer Starrick added.

Tom Thomas, 43, who was traveling south to St. Louis at the time, said, "The only thing you could hear after we got hit was crash after crash after crash behind us."

People with any issues or queries can contact the police helpline at 618-346-3653.