The first victim has been identified after a dust storm caused a 72 vehicle pile-up on the I-55 outside of Springfield, Illinois.
The massive pile-up occurred during a dust storm with low visibility on Monday (May 1) morning.
Seven victims were killed while 37 were taken to hospital with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening, and those hurt are two to 80 years old, Illinois State Police said in a statement.
Shirley Harper, 88, was named as the first victim killed in the tragedy. The death toll was initially reported as six but rose to seven on Tuesday as investigators asked for the public’s help in identifying two yet-to-be-named victims.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s office is working to identify the five others and notify their families.
Kevin Schott, the director of Montgomery County’s Emergency Management Agency, said that efforts to rescue victims were hampered by the thick dust on the scene as well as multiple vehicle fires which made it difficult to get to “victims in a rapid manner”.
