3-year-old among 6 killed in Montana highway pileup

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A 3-year-old was among six people killed in a pileup Friday afternoon on a Montana highway during blackout conditions caused by dust storms, officials said Monday.

Three of the six people who died in the crash just west of Hardin were children, said Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Jay Nelson. The pileup happened after sudden, strong winds kicked up dust from farm fields causing blackout conditions on Interstate 90, a major route across the northern United States.

All the victims were from Montana. Their names were expected to be released Monday afternoon. The ages of the other two children who were killed were not immediately released.

Nelson also revealed Monday that 11 more people were injured, including three who were in critical condition.

The crashes were caused by a dust storm fueled by wind gusts topping 60 mph (97 kph), officials said. Nelson said there was zero visibility for a mile-long stretch of highway.

The six fatalities occurred in three different vehicles. A total of 29 people were in 21 vehicles involved in the crash. The vehicles — including six commercial semi-trucks — were from nine states and one Canadian province, authorities said.

I-90 is the longest interstate highway in the country, stretching just over 3,020 miles from Seattle to Boston. The crash happened about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Montana's largest city, Billings, during a peak summer traffic hour for those commuting home from work or traveling for outdoor recreation.

The wind that caused the dust storm was traveling ahead of thunderstorms moving into the area. Nick Vertz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Billings, described it as a surge of wind that kind of appeared out of nowhere.

The crash backed up semi tractor-trailers, campers and other vehicles traveling in the eastbound lanes for hours. It took more than six hours to completely clear the roadway, Nelson said.