Dense fog may have contributed to a horrific Thanksgiving morning pileup in Texas: At least 150 cars were involved, and two fatalities have been confirmed so far, Reuters reports. As many as 120 people were injured; KFDM reports that at least eight of them were in critical condition. Emergency workers were searching for more people who may be trapped inside their vehicles."We have 18-wheelers on top of cars, we have cars on top of cars. It's just catastrophic," says a sheriff's spokesman.
The man and woman who died were in an SUV that was crushed by a tractor trailer. Interstate 10 was shut down in both directions after the pileup, which occurred about 15 miles west of Beaumont, and several hundred cars were stuck on the highway. The westbound lane has since reopened, but the eastbound lane is expected to stay closed hours longer. People were cleared from the area around an 18-wheeler when it began leaking, as authorities attempted to determine what chemical it was carrying, 12 News reports. (More multi-vehicle pileup stories.)