At least six people have been killed in chain collisions during a sandstorm in the US state of Illinois. More than 30 people were taken to hospital with injuries.

Police said the series of collisions that occurred late Monday morning involved 40 to 60 cars and 30 commercial vehicles, two of which caught fire. “The collisions were caused by strong winds that blew dirt from the fields onto the highway, resulting in zero visibility.”

It happened about 300 kilometers southwest of Chicago, the largest city in Illinois. “All you could hear after we hit was crash after crash after crash behind us,” says a 43-year-old motorist who had traveled to St. Louis.

The Emergency Services Coordinator talks about a ‘difficult situation’ and it is very difficult to train. The weather service said the wind was blowing at between 56 and 74 kilometers per hour.

“It’s very flat, very few trees,” says one meteorologist. “It has been very dry in this area for the past three weeks. The farmers are working in their fields and cultivating them. The top layer of soil is quite loose.”