United States: “super fog” causes impressive pileup and kills eight people

A “super fog” with dramatic consequences. On Monday, a huge pileup involved more than 160 vehicles on a highway in the state of Louisiana, in the southern United States. The latest report from the authorities, published this Tuesday, October 24, showsat least eight dead and 63 injured.

“The ongoing investigation has determined that at least 168 vehicles were involved in the crash,” Louisiana State Police said Tuesday afternoon on Facebook. The day before, she had warned that the toll could still rise. “More than 25 people were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment for minor to serious injuries,” she added.

At the start of the morning, extremely dense fog, caused by morning mist and smoke from swamp fires, drastically reduced the visibility of motorists, causing collisions. A portion of the road on which the pileup took place “caught fire shortly after the initial accident,” police said, sharing images of wrecked and burned vehicles.

Two days later, the road is still closed

“Super fogs” typically form when condensed water vapor mixes with smoke and moisture from burning, moist organic matter, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). During such episodes, the visibility can then be reduced to less than 3 metersaccording to the NWS.

On Wednesday, the highway where the pileup occurred was still closed to traffic “in both directions” as “pavement inspections” continued. Experts are currently working on deck to identify which areas will require “repairs”. “A full structural inspection will take place once the deck surface will be completely cleared of debrisdiesel and other chemicals,” local police said on Wednesday.