An apparent dust storm caused a massive pileup in Hungary involving 32 cars, five vans, and five trucks/semis.
The “mass accident” occurred on Saturday afternoon on the M1 and Hungary’s Directorate General of Disaster Management said the side heading to Győr saw a forty vehicle collision. This sparked a massive fire, which resulted in nineteen cars and one truck’s cab being “completely burnt.” The chaos spread to the other side of the road as two cars heading towards Budapest also collided.
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The Directorate General of Disaster Management said 70 firefighters and four helicopters took part in the response, but one person was tragically killed. Another forty were injured and the government said two people were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, while 12 had serious injuries. The remaining 26 had minor injuries and warming buses arrived to assist whose who managed to escape unharmed.
The Hungarian Concession Infrastructure Development company implied the fires were intense enough that the M1 needed “immediate intervention.” As a result, crews have started grinding up and removing damaged sections in preparation for the laying of new asphalt. The company went on to say drivers should expect speed restrictions as well as congestion until repairs are completed.
While an investigation is underway, the Associated Press notes a dust storm might have caused reduced visibility and sparked the pileup. That seems possible as several videos show hazy, almost fog-like conditions.