Eight killed in huge sand-storm pile-up involving 110 people, 80 cars and three trucks
A sand storm in northern Germany caused a huge highway pile-up yesterday that killed eight people and injured at least 41 others, police said. At least 17 vehicles caught fire, including a truck carrying flammable material.
Rostock police spokesman Volker Werner said rescue operations were still under way and the death toll could rise.
At least 41 people were injured, many of them seriously, and were taken to nearby hospitals. Others who suffered shocks or bruising received treatment on the spot, Werner said.
Firefighters work on the site of the pile-up of at least 40 cars and trucks on the A19 motorway near Kavelstorf near Rostock
In total some 110 people in 80 cars and three trucks were involved in the crash a few miles from the Baltic Sea, Werner said.
'Unfortunately, it looks like the death toll could rise further,' Werner said. Several bodies were thought to be in the burnt vehicles, he added.
'One truck has crashed on a car, so we don't know yet how many people are in the car below it,' he said.
Devastation: A rescue worker stands in front of a burnt truck on the motorway
The crash in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state was caused by a sand storm, but it was unclear if this was down to a sudden lack of visibility or by sand on the road, Werner said.
Strong winds may have carried the sand from nearby fields - one of them freshly ploughed - to the four-lane highway, Werner said.
The region has recently experienced prolonged dry conditions, affecting agriculture and leaving many soils exposed to erosion.
Policemen examine the burnt out cars, with rescuers fearing that more bodies will be uncovered
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