Montana: Six people killed after huge dust storm that piles up 21 cars

At least six people have died after a massive dust storm caused a pile-up of 21 cars in the US.

Strong winds over Montana raised dust and left many drivers with ‘zero visibility’.

At the time of the accident, gusts of 60 mph were recorded on Interstate 90 near Hardin.

The accident was reported Friday at 4:28 p.m. local time.

Minutes after the crash, the nearby Big Horn Country Airport recorded wind speeds of up to 100 km/h – a 65 km/h increase less than 15 minutes earlier.

A highway patrol officer said additional ambulance services from another city had to be called in to help, as it is not yet clear how many people have been injured.

While emergency services were on the scene Friday, cars could be seen crashing into the grass bank.

Dozens of other vehicles were back on the road as a result of the accident.

The dust storm was caused by a mix of recent dry temperatures and high winds.

“Looks like there was a strong wind that created a dust storm with no visibility,” said Jay Nelson of Montana’s Highway Patrol.

Visibility is said to have fallen to less than 400 meters on Friday due to bad weather conditions.

Montana governor Greg Gianforte said he was “deeply saddened” by the news of the “mass casualty disaster.”

Please pray with me to lift the victims and their loved ones. We are grateful to our first responders for their service,” he added.