Crime & Safety
24 Injured, 3 Dead As Search For Victims In I-81 Crash Continues: Latest Updates
The search for victims is continuing as first responders make their way through a huge stretch of wreckage.
PENNSYLVANIA — The massive pileup on a Pennsylvania interstate Monday morning left at least three people dead and 24 injured, leaving a grim scene of fire, smoke and a huge stretch of wreckage. The road remains shut down in both directions Tuesday, and the search for victims on scene continues.
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Officials noted Tuesday morning that the current estimates of injured and dead could be higher than what has been discovered thus far.
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The latest estimates have some 60 vehicles involved in the pileup.
The incident occurred at 10:36 a.m. the midst of a snow squall on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County.
Find out what's happening in Across Pennsylvaniafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
It's still not clear exactly what triggered the crash, but it involved numerous tractor trailers that stacked up against each other on the road side, with some of them catching fire. First responders struggled to approach the scene by vehicle due to the snow, and had to travel by foot to extricate victims who were trapped in cars and trucks.
Approaching 24 hours after the crash, the interstate remains closed in both directions between exits 107 and 119. The closure is expected to continue for hours more at least. "The clean up is about half done," Pennsylvania State Trooper David Beohm said Tuesday morning.
Some of the injured were able to walk away from the scene themselves. They were taken to four different area hospitals by ambulances. Others who walked away from the scene were taken by Schuylkill Transportation Service buses to the nearby Wegmans Distribution Center. Those persons went through triage there and were then taken to Minersville Fire Station, which served as a reunification center with family and friends.
Multiple fire companies from around Schuylkill County were still at the scene Monday evening working to extinguish blazes from the crash.
The Pennsylvania State Police's Forensics Unit, Cars Unit, and the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) all remain on scene.
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