CHARLESTON, Mo. (AP) — A county coroner says at least five people died and several were injured in chain-reaction crashes involving dozens of vehicles on an interstate in southeast Missouri.
The collisions began about 8 a.m. Thursday on Interstate 57 as thick fog enveloped the Charleston area, about 150 miles south of St. Louis.
KFVS reports that Mississippi County Coroner Terry Parker confirmed the deaths and said a mobile morgue has been established at a funeral home in Charleston.
According to the Associated Press, there is no official word as to how many people were injured.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Kinder said about 50 vehicles were involved, including several semitrailer trucks.
Kinder added that several vehicles were on fire initially, but those fires were all extinguished by 4 p.m. local time, the AP reported.
Officials said an approximately 25-mile stretch of the interstate will likely be closed well into Thursday night.
