Multiple People Dead After 50-Car Pile-Up

Multiple people are said to have died after a multi-car collision in Missouri.

The incident on Thursday (17 March), which happened on the I-57 near Charleston, reportedly occurred due to a driver hitting their brakes, which was said to have caused a 40-50 vehicle crash, according to the Daily Mail.

The Missouri Department of Public Safety Facebook page read: "This is a major incident with multiple crashes involving several tractor trailers and fatalities.

"Both directions are closed and there is a large-scale cleanup underway as well as continuing major-crash fatality scene investigation by Missouri State Highway Patrol."

MoDOT Southeast District added: "NB and SB Lanes of I-57 from I-55 to the Illinois State Line in Mississippi County are closed until further notice due to a multi vehicle crash.

"Please seek alternate routes."

According to Zach Bolden, director of the Mississippi County EMS, it was foggy when they responded.

The number of deaths or injuries is still being determined by police.

Delays on the highway are expected to last hours, with the public safety department saying it had ‘no estimated time for reopening I-57’.

Eyewitness Brent Mulian told 23 News: "I arrived with our air trailer and some other supplies, our guys have been here for a couple of hours.

"There's multiple vehicles that are damaged and tied up, they will probably be here for numerous hours trying to clean this crash up.

"They still have a fire that they are working on but they are going to have get that fire put out and use tow trucks to get all these vehicles towed off.

"I would say [it would take] easily four or five hours and this road will still be closed," he continued. "I know EMS has flown several people out, transported a lot of people by ambulance and like I've said, they've had ambulances all over the area."

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