At least seven people have been killed after a sandstorm caused a 20-vehicle pileup in Utah.
Ground and air ambulances carried several people in a critical condition to hospital after the crashes, which officials said happened at around 4:30pm Sunday.
Utah Highway Patrol said they happened on Interstate 15 near the town of Kanosh during a period of high winds that caused a dust or sandstorm which reduced visibility.
Five of the seven people killed were in one vehicle, while two others were in another vehicle, and several children were among the dead, Highway Patrol Sgt. Cameron Rhoden told KUTV in Salt Lake City.
'We have vehicles all over. Several vehicles tried to swerve off the roadway. We have vehicles that are flipped up on their sides,' Rhoden said. 'One of the vehicles that was pulling a trailer, the trailer has pretty much completely been destroyed and is on the freeway.'
Lack of vegetation in the area may have contributed to the intensity of the storm.
'No one could see, so people started stopping, and then you just get a chain reaction,' Trooper Andrew Battenfield, a spokesman for the Highway Patrol, said on Sunday night.
'Nobody could see, and then all of a sudden, you're slamming into a car,' he said. 'It's just a horrific situation.'
At least seven people have been killed after a sandstorm caused a 20-vehicle pileup in Utah
Utah Highway Patrol said the crashes happened on Interstate 15 near the town of Kanosh during a period of high winds that caused a dust or sandstorm which reduced visibility
Ground and air ambulances reportedly carried several people in a critical condition to hospital after the crashes on Sunday afternoon
'We don't even know how many for sure were hospitalized, this is how big of a crash it was,' Trooper Battenfield said. 'A lot of them are in critical condition.'
Names of the victims will not be released until 24 hours after their families have been notified, the Highway Patrol said in a statement.
Photos released by the Highway Patrol showed a line of wrecked vehicles, including large trucks and tractor trailers.
Debris is strewn on the road and one vehicle appears to have lost its passenger doors in the crash.
Another image appeared to show a red vehicle that had been partially crushed against a truck.
The Highway Patrol have not released details of the victims, saying late on Sunday night that the scale of the accident made it difficult to gauge injuries right away
An image released by Utah Highway Patrol appears to show a red vehicle that had been partially crushed against a truck
A map of the crash site outside the town of Kanosh, which lies about 160 miles (258 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City
I-15 remained partially shut down late Sunday, with traffic being redirected around the crash site. The Highway Patrol said it expected the road in the area would be closed for a 'significant time'.
A severe thunderstorm was in Parowan, Utah was reported by the National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City about an hour before the crash.
It was observed to be stirring up dust and dirt but it is not clear whether the storm in Parowan, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) from Kanosh was connected to that which caused the crashes.
Kanosh lies about 160 miles (258 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City.
Names of the victims will not be released until 24 hours after their families have been notified, the Highway Patrol said in a statement
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