At least six people were killed and others injured in southern Montana in a heavy car crowd Friday afternoon during a windstorm that raised dust and caused “near-extinction conditions,” authorities said.
The crash on Interstate 90 on the outskirts of Hardin, Mont., A city of 3,800 people about 50 miles east of Billings, involved 21 vehicles, including six semi-trucks, Sgt. Jay Nelson, a spokesman for the Montana Highway Patrol, said in an interview. It is not immediately clear how many people were injured, he said.
Authorities did not immediately disclose the names or ages of the victims.
“Everything indicates that there was an isolated weather event that caused near-off conditions at this location,” Sergeant Nelson said. “A dust storm in the area with extremely strong winds is the preliminary cause of the accident.”
On Friday afternoon, storms in the area produced strong rising winds known as outbursts, which travel about 30 miles ahead of the storms, said Nick Vertz, a meteorologist with the Billings National Meteorological Service.
In the late afternoon, there were gusts of wind of 62 miles per hour that picked up dust and reduced visibility to less than a quarter of a mile, he said. Typically, wind gusts produced by these storms are 30 to 40 miles per hour, Mr. Vertz.
The crash, which occurred around 4:30 p.m., cut off traffic on Interstate 90 while the road patrol was investigating. By 9 p.m., eastbound lanes were still closed and officials were diverting traffic.
Gov. Greg Gianforte said on Friday afternoon on Twitter that he was “deeply saddened by the news of a massive casualty crash near Hardin.”
“Please join me in prayer to lift the victims and their loved ones,” he said. “We are grateful to our first managers for their service.”