Authorities in Utah responded Sunday to a series of crashes involving about 20 vehicles on Interstate 15 during a massive dust storm that resulted in at least seven deaths.
Fox13Now.com, citing Utah Highway Patrol, reported that strong winds prompted a massive dust storm in the early evening between Kanosh and Meadow. The report said that several others were rushed to nearby hospitals in critical condition. The station posted a video of the dust storm and its impact on visibility.
“No one could see, so people started stopping, and then you just get a chain reaction. Nobody could see, and then all of a sudden, you’re slamming into a car. It’s just a horrific situation,” Andrew Battenfield, a trooper, said at a press conference, according to the New York Times. He said the actual number of those hospitalize is unclear, which underscored the size of the cash scene.
Gov. Spencer Cox took to Twitter to say he was “stunned and saddened by the horrific accidents.”
Highway patrol closed down parts of the I-15 and called the scene “active.”
