A windstorm in south-central Illinois kicked up clouds of dust off farm fields Monday, blinding drivers, causing numerous crashes and killing at least six people on Interstate 55, police said.
The crashes occurred late in the morning and involved 40 to 60 passenger cars and multiple tractor-trailers, two of which caught fire, Illinois State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick said. The highway was shut down in both directions in Montgomery County, about 120 kilometres north of St. Louis.
Starrick, who confirmed the fatalities, told reporters that it was a spring version of a “whiteout situation” typically seen in winter snowstorms.
“The cause of the crashes is due
