Two Dead, Many Injured In Huge Montreal Pileup Under Whiteout Conditions

Two people are confirmed dead in a crash that involved about 200 vehicles on Highway 15 in La Prairie south of Montreal, provincial police say. The confirmation came from the Surete du Quebec, which said the victims are two people who were trapped in the wreckage near a diesel spill.

Whiteout conditions likely triggered the massive pileup that sent a dozen people to hospital with minor to serious injuries.

The crash occurred around 12:30 p.m. on a stretch of the highway that runs along the St. Lawrence River. The pileup of vehicles extended for about a kilometre.

Transport Minister Francois Bonnardel said the pileup took place in an area where heavy winds come off the river, creating sudden blizzard-like conditions.

“People were driving, there were strong winds … and, suddenly, you couldn’t see anything,” Bonnardel said in Quebec City. “And then, well, the pileup started.”