A massive traffic pileup in Louisiana has left two men dead, with another 61 victims injured. The accident involved approximately 40 cars, trucks, vans and other motor vehicles on a busy interstate, which was closed for several hours after the crash.

Police are refusing to speculate on what may have caused the accident, but several drivers reported entering a thick cloud of either fog or smoke that limited their vision. Some witnesses say they heard injured people crying for assistance upon entering the fog. A police spokesperson explained that he could not comment on whether the cloud had anything to do with the car accident, noting that the case was still under investigation.

A pickup truck driver and a passenger in another pickup truck, both Louisiana natives, were killed in the accident. Police will not say whether the victims were killed in the initial collision or one of the many that followed. The police spokesperson reported that out of the 61 injured, 37 sustained minor injuries but refused treatment, while 25 were transported to nearby medical care facilities with injuries varying in severity from minor to critical. Seven victims were taken to Louisiana's top trauma center. Several of those victims remain in critical condition. Additionally, a firefighter that responded to the crash scene sustained a cut on his face.

Because of the size of the wreck, police were forced to close both lanes of the highway. While the westbound lanes were packed with cars, trucks and other vehicles that had struck each other, the eastbound lanes were cleared to allow emergency vehicles to get in and out. Traffic continued to be diverted until the afternoon of the following day.

Source: New York Daily News, "Two dead, 61 injured in 40-vehicle New Orleans pileup on busy interstate," Dec. 29, 2011