Visibility levels were below a quarter mile at a nearby weather station from just after 4 a.m. In the southbound lanes, there were two reported multicar pileups, one of which was also producing flames.Īccording to Tregre, all first responders had to be on foot because the crashes left the area “completely gridlocked.”įirst responders had to navigate the area on foot because the dozens of wreckes left the area gridlocked, officials said. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre told CNN affiliate WVUE about three 18-wheel trucks collided in the northbound lanes and were fully engulfed in flames. It will help replenish supplies that are being drained today to care for the wounded.”Įarlier, St. “The best way you can help them, besides exercising caution on the road, is to donate blood at your local blood donation center. “I also want to thank the first responders and medical personnel who have worked so diligently to save lives and render aid,” the governor added. “The combination of wildfire smoke and dense fog is dangerous, and I want to encourage all Louisianans in affected areas to take extreme caution while traveling,” Edwards said on X, formerly known as Twitter. John Bel Edwards said he was praying for those killed and wounded in the crashes.įirst responders worked all day Monday after more than 150 vehicles crashed along Interstate 55. It is possible that additional fatalities could be located,” state police added.Īuthorities have asked the public to reach out if they have a missing family member who was traveling through the area Monday morning. “Once the tanker is removed, first responders will be able to better assess the vehicles in that immediate area.

Police were working Monday evening to move the truck due to a “compromised tank/trailer.” One of the vehicles involved in the wrecks was a tanker truck carrying “hazardous liquid,” police said without elaborating on the substance. Some of the vehicles caught on fire after the initial crash, authorities said. The National Weather Service warned dense fog could return to the area this weekend.Īll vehicles have been cleared along I-55 and crews are beginning to clean debris, diesel, and other chemicals from the roadway’s surface, state police said.Īfter the cleanup is complete, the northbound and southbound lanes of I-55 will remain closed until the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development conducts a damage assessment on a bridge at the crash site, state police said.

Super fog is a thick fog that develops in damp, smoky conditions and can send visibilities plummeting to less than 10 feet, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologists earlier said “ super fog” had heavily impacted the area, just west of New Orleans, around the time of the pileups. The intense fire and extensive wreckage led troopers to believe there were a total of eight victims, but the ongoing investigation determined “there are no additional or unknown victims of this tragic incident other than seven identified victims,” state police said. It has been determined that the incident tragically claimed the lives of seven victims rather than the initially reported eight victims,” Louisiana State Police said in a Facebook post Friday. “As the investigation into the multi-vehicle crash on I-55 progresses, Troopers and forensic examiners have made significant advancements. And many victims sought medical help on their own. More than 25 of those were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to critical, the agency said previously. John the Baptist Parish that involved at least 160 vehicles this week has been reduced to seven people after officials initially reported eight deaths, state police said, citing forensic evidence.Īt least 63 people were injured in the crashes, the Louisiana State Police said in a news release Tuesday. The death toll following a slew of crashes Monday along Interstate 55 in Louisiana’s St.

Advection fog locations