At least 3 people were killed and at least 20 injured in a horrifying chain collision involving more than 50 vehicles on a highway in the USA’s Pennsylvania state on Monday (US time).

The crash occurred due to a sudden and blinding snow squall at 10:36 am in the northbound lanes of Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County near Minersville, according to a report in the Washington Post.

About 20 people were taken to hospitals, John Blickley, a spokesman for the Schuylkill County Office of Emergency Management, said on Monday.

The pileup snarled traffic for several miles on the highway, making it difficult for emergency responders to reach the wreckage, which the authorities said extended for about a mile.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation referred questions about the crash to the Pennsylvania State Police, which wrote on Twitter on Monday afternoon that 50 to 60 vehicles were involved in the pileup and that a fire continued to burn at the scene. It did not immediately provide details, including information about fatalities.

Also read: Countdown to Imran Khan’s exit may have begun after Pak opposition tables non-confidence motion