A total of 158 vehicles were involved: “Super fog” led to numerous accidents in the US state of Louisiana. The weather service explains how the extremely dense fog came about.
A “super fog” has caused serious accidents on a highway in the US state of Louisiana. At least seven people were killed. Police said 25 injured people were taken to hospitals after the pileup west of New Orleans.
158 vehicles were involved in the accidents. The number of victims could rise because not all of the dead may have been recovered yet, according to the police. Part of the accident site on Interstate 55 caught fire, among other things because a tanker truck loaded with a dangerous liquid caught fire.
As soon as the vehicle has been recovered, the situation can be better assessed. Governor John Bel Edwards called for blood donations and asked for prayers “for the injured and the dead.”
Emergency services on duty at one of the accident scenes
This is how the “super nebula” was created
The accidents were caused by extremely poor visibility. There were several wetland fires in the region, the National Weather Service said. The smoke created during these fires mixed with fog that occurred at the same time and created a “super fog”.
The “super fog” is a particularly dense fog that develops under humid, smoky conditions and can reduce visibility to less than three meters. The Interstate 55 roadway runs on bridges over swamps and open water between Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas.
A vehicle plunged off Interstate 55 into the water as a result of an accident
Fires in wetlands
CNN reported that there were various accidents. In one, several trucks collided and burst into flames, the station quoted Mike Tregre, sheriff of Saint John the Baptist Parish, as saying. A vehicle was pushed over the guardrail on the interstate, but the occupants appeared to be OK.
Louisiana has been battling unprecedented wildfires, extreme heat and severe drought since the summer. The city of New Orleans said the lack of rain combined with the extreme heat of the summer had dried up wetlands and lowered groundwater levels. A fire being monitored in forested wetlands is burning on and below the surface.