Update 20:50 h
At least five people have died after a crowd of more than 20 vehicles at I90 near Hardin on Friday evening, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.
Authorities continue to explore the wreckage and hope traffic to the east will continue to be diverted until midnight or later.
The death toll could rise and troops did not say how many were injured.
Eyewitnesses said the area was cloudy and dusty with little visibility shortly after the crash was reported around 4.30pm on Friday.
“It was like a snowstorm but the dust was very low visibility, it was like fog. It reminded me of a very dense fog, “motorist Ariel Dehart told MTN News.
Cash remains in the early stages of investigating the causes of the crash and they still don’t know where it began.
This is a developing story. Check for updates again.
Update 8:10 p.m.
Motorists told MTN News that visibility around the crash scene at I90 near Hardin was poor, as was the carnage.
“As we approached the dust storm, you could start to see the vehicles in the ditch. There was a caravan, the whole side was blown up, the top was out of it. The fronts of the vehicles went be crashed, ”said motorist Landa Uffelman.
Others said the dust obscured the view of the scene from outside 10 feet. A storm had pushed the area shortly before the overcrowding was noticed.
“We couldn’t see even 10 feet in front of us, so we immediately braked. On either side, there were cars braked and stopped, and then I saw a van that had just collapsed in the back of the car. ‘a semi. And then, in the back, there were about 20-30 vehicles piling up, “said Tom Howe, who had passed by the scene.
Sheyenne Scheeler, who took several photos of the scene, said she saw several cars crushed. He described the incident as “heartbreaking”.
“The first thing we saw was a van that had been pulling a caravan and the caravan looked like it had opened like a can. And after that we started to see more cars that had ended up behind,” he said. to say.
Montana Highway Patrol officers are expected to post an update of the crash later Friday night.
(first report) At least 20 vehicles crashed into the west lane of Interstate 90 three miles west of Hardin on Friday evening in what authorities call a “mass casualty incident.”
The Montana Highway Patrol Sergeant. Jay Nelson told MTN News that the incident was reported around 4:30 p.m., and rescuers were still arriving at the scene 90 minutes later.
The crash centers around mile 493 near Hardin.
Motorcyclists should expect delays in the area. Authorities are expected to be at the scene for a few hours.
This is a developing story. Please check the details again.