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Cleanup of deadly Pennsylvania pileup keeps interstate shut

Generic: Day Police Lights
Posted at 10:36 AM, Mar 29, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-29 11:36:27-04

POTTSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A stretch of an interstate highway in Pennsylvania remains shuttered a day after at least three people were killed and more than a dozen others injured when several vehicles lost control and slammed into each other during a snow squall.

Authorities and published reports say Interstate 81 north is still closed early Tuesday following the wreck Monday morning amid poor visibility.

The crash that involved an estimated 40 to 60 vehicles was captured in videos posted on social media that showed drivers and passengers lining the snowy road and jumping out of the way as the cascade of crashes unfolded.

Officials say three fatalities have been confirmed, and that number could rise.

Twenty-four people were taken to hospitals with various undisclosed injuries.

On Monday, around 6:30 p.m. local time, authorities reopened the southbound side, the Associated Press reported.

However, the northbound lanes remain closed, and when they'd reopen has not been announced.

The authorities said they remain closed because there are cars still on the highway as of early Tuesday, with some melted onto the roadway. Authorities said they also needed to search each vehicle to ensure no human remains, the news outlet reported.