(KUTV) — At least eight people were killed and 10 others injured in a 22-vehicle pileup on Interstate 15 south of Fillmore, Utah on Sunday.
KUTV: Kelly Vaughen reports{ }
Several children are among the deceased, said Sgt. Cameron Roden with the Utah Highway Patrol.
The "series of crashes" happened just before 5 p.m. near milepost 152 (between Fillmore and Kanosh) as a result of a dust or sand storm. Multiple ground and air ambulances were dispatched to transport crash victims for medical treatment.
Five of the seven people killed in the crash were traveling together in one vehicle. Two others who lost their lives were traveling together in another vehicle, Roden said. The eighth reported death was from a third vehicle.
At least 10 people were transported to hospitals with injuries from the crashes. Three among them were in critical condition.
I can't remember in recent memory of (a crash) being this large, with this many vehicles and this many fatalities," Roden said.
Video shared with 2News shows what the viewer who shared it described as the "tail end" of the dust storm that reportedly caused the crash.
Tony Valdez witnessed what he called the tail end of a dust storm that caused a 22-vehicle pileup on I-15 that killed at least seven people on Sunday. (Video: Tony Valdez)
Both directions of Interstate 15 were closed south of Fillmore and remained closed as of 9:20 p.m. Sunday. Roden anticipated the closure would remain in place for at least another two hours.
"We have vehicles all over. Several vehicles tried to swerve off the roadway. We have vehicles that are flipped up on their sides," Roden said. "One of the vehicles that was pulling a trailer, the trailer has pretty much completely been destroyed and is on the freeway."
Maj. Beau Mason with the Utah Highway Patrol advised drivers to use an alternate route through the area. For southbound travel, exit at Scipio and take Highway 50 toward Richfield, Mason said. He advised northbound drivers to take I-70.
Traffic is being diverted through Meadow and Kanosh, UHP said. Closures are expected to remain in place for "significant time."
https://kutv.com/news/local/sandstorm-causes-multiple-crashes-on-i-15-south-of-fillmore-at-least-1-dead
