A 17-vehicle crash in Austin, Texas, left five people dead, including a child and an infant, first responders say.
The massive pileup involving a semi-truck unfolded late Thursday night along I-35 in the North Austin area, according to Austin-Travis County EMS.
The agency said several people were “pinned in their vehicles” following the wreck.
“5 patients (3 adults, 1 child, 1 infant) have been pronounced deceased on scene,” Austin-Travis County EMS wrote on X.
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The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.
Of the 12 people who were injured, three of them are children, officials said.
The portion of I-35 southbound where the crash happened appeared to be closed early Friday morning.
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“All lanes of N IH 35 SB are shut down and will be for several hours. Please avoid the area, expect delays, and find alternate routes,” the Austin Police Department wrote on X.
Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Christa Stedman told CBS Austin that “This incident was incredibly chaotic and it was spread out over about a 10th of a mile.
“So without the collaboration of our partners, we would not have been able to manage the scene as well as we did,” she added.
