An estimated 75 to 100 vehicles were involved in a multi-car pileup in Fort Worth, Texas, during the early hours of Thursday.
Described by first responders as a “mass casualty incident,†the pileup occurred around 6:30 a.m. along Interstate 35.
Fort Worth Police Department spokesperson Brad Perez confirmed to HuffPost that as of Thursday morning at least five people had died in the accident, with the total number of injuries unknown as police and other emergency workers continued to clear the area and assist drivers trapped in their cars.
Sleet, rain and slick roads likely contributed to the huge collision, according to Officer Daniel Segura, who spoke with CNN.
The interstate was closed in the aftermath as ambulances swarmed the scene, and a reunification center for those with family members who may been involved in the pileup was set up at Fort Worth’s Riverside Community Center.
Local storm chaser Jason McLaughlin told The Weather Channel in an on-air interview that ice formations on the road appeared to have caused a number of drivers to lose control of their vehicles, “and when that happened, everything just piled up behind them.â€
Video of the disaster spread across social media:
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