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10 killed in Florida highway pile-up


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10 killed in Florida highway pile-up

2012-01-31 04:56:04 GMT+7 (ICT)

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA (BNO NEWS) -- Ten people were killed on early Sunday morning when nearly two dozen vehicles were involved in a pile-up in the U.S. state of Florida, local authorities said on Monday. Several others were injured.

The series of vehicle accidents happened on Sunday morning between 3:45 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, the largest city in Alachua County. The highway was covered with a combination of thick smoke and fog, causing extremely low visibility.

The smoke was coming from a brush fire on Paynes Prairie, reducing visibility on both the north and southbound lanes. At least 12 cars and six semitrailer trucks were involved in the string of deadly crashes as drivers were unable to see. Rescue workers also had difficulty reaching the scene and helping victims as they were only guided by screams and moans.

Local authorities told the Gainseville Sun that ten people were confirmed to have been killed while 21 others were injured. Of those injured, 18 were rushed to Shands at the University in Florida while three others were receiving medical treatment at the North Florida Regional Medical Center. Several people remained in a critical condition on Monday.

After Sunday's accident, which is being described as one of Florida's worst vehicle accidents in history, the Florida Highway Patrol closed the highway from around 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time in both directions, reports said.

As the fog and smoke cleared up, burnt vehicles were seen across the highway, and some were piled up under other cars.

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-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-01-31

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