At least five people died and dozens were injured following a 100-car pileup near Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday, said officials.
Between 70 and 100 vehicles were involved in the crash on Interstate-35W in Fort Worth. Several people were trapped in their vehicles, officials told CBS Dallas.
A spokesperson for the Fort Worth Police Department, Daniel Segura, confirmed to the CBS affiliate station that five died in the incident, which occurred at around 6:30 a.m. local time.
According to the National Weather Service, freezing rain and sleet fell in the area overnight and in the early morning hours. The area, as of 9 a.m. local time, was under a winter weather advisory.
First responders took about 30 people to hospitals following the crash, said MedStar spokesman Matt Zavadsky to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper. Some had critical injuries.
Fort Worth Police wrote on Twitter that the northbound lanes of the I-35 toll express and regular lanes were shut down due to the crash and poor weather conditions.
Fire officials also wrote on Twitter that several people were trapped in vehicles, although it’s not clear how many.
“We don’t have any firms on total numbers of fatalities that we’re comfortable with releasing, because that number continues to change,” Fort Worth public information officer Mike Drivdahl told Fox News. “I can tell you that there are multiple people that we have transported in various conditions.”
Agencies have to bring in trucks with sand to improve traction on the interstate to help responders.
“This is obviously not something we deal with a lot in Fort Worth,” Drivdahl said, referring to snow and ice, reported Fox News. “But we do have the resources to respond to it.”
Other details about the incident were not provided.
