Jan Wesner Childs and Nicole Bonaccorso
The death toll in Louisiana's 'superfog' pileup was revised down by one after additional forensics evidence was examined, according to Louisiana State Police.
The initial death toll announced the day of the incident was 7. That later rose to 8. But the additional death turned out to be confusion "due to the intense fire and the extensive wreckage," according to a news release Friday.
The mangled, burned wreckage of vehicles was left behind after a series of crashes Monday related to low visibility caused by a combination of wildfire smoke and dense fog on Interstate 55 west of New Orleans.
In addition to the deaths, at least 63 people were injured in a mile-long pileup Monday morning that left a long bridge littered with remains of cars, SUVs and semitrucks.
"Troopers are in the process of removing the final group of vehicles," Louisiana State Police spokesperson Sgt. Kate Stegall told weather.com in an update around 10:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday.
The next steps were a cleanup of the roadway surface and an inspection of the bridge, which is in the community of Manchac, also known as Akers, in Tangipahoa Parish.
(MORE: How The Louisiana 'Superfog' Pileup Happened)
Stegall confirmed the grim news of the deaths in a press conference Monday night.
"This crash that started just before 9 o'clock this morning has over 150 vehicles involved, it spans about a mile's distance and is broken down into several other crashes," Stegall said.
Stegall previously told weather.com in a phone call that there were multiple crashes in both directions on I-55, with multiple vehicles involved. The affected stretch of interstate was partially reopened Tuesday morning.
(MORE: Weather-Related Vehicle Accidents Far More Deadly Than Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Floods)
Stegall encouraged anyone who may have been involved or witnessed the crashes to contact state police. Anyone missing a family member who may have been driving through the area was advised to call Louisiana State Police Troop B at 504-471-2775.
Efforts to clear the scene were complicated by a tanker truck that caught fire, Stegall said. The tanker truck was carrying a hazardous material.
"Once that tanker truck is offloaded, they will be able to get to some further area of the wreckage and once we're able to get into that wreckage there's a possibility that there may be more confirmed fatalities," Stegall said.
In this aerial photo, responders are seen near wreckage in the aftermath of a multi-vehicle pileup on I-55 in Manchac, La., Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. A “superfog” of smoke from south Louisiana marsh fires and dense morning fog caused multiple traffic crashes involving scores of cars.In a social media post earlier in the evening, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards referenced "those hurt and killed" on Interstate 55. Edwards encouraged people to donate blood "to help replenish supplies that are being drained today to care for the wounded."
In addition to other recovery work, the bridge where the tanker caught fire will need to be inspected, Stegall said.
Drone video showed burned and mangled vehicles piled together in the aftermath of the crashes.
Driver Chris Vanacor described the scene on the bridge in an interview with weather.com Monday afternoon.
"I saw multiple, multiple, multiple cars just crushed, 18 wheelers that you could see were set ablaze," Vanacor said.
"The fog was so dense, it was super, super thick. You could probably only see 10 feet in front of you. It was very, very scary to say the least because, you know, just as much as you can only see 10 feet in front of you, you can only see about 10 to 15 feet behind you. So you didn't know what was coming up from behind."
Vanacor was able to safely exit the interstate, but he continued to hear the crashes happening.
A person sits on a black truck surrounded by crashed vehicles in one of several pileups on Interstate 55 west of New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023.St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre said about 100 people were stranded on the interstate, according to NOLA.com.
The smoke, from wildfires burning in marshes, could be seen and smelled in New Orleans.
"Smoke from the marsh fires was trapped by a temperature inversion in the atmosphere after sunset on Sunday," weather.com digital meteorologist Chris Dolce said. "That smoke then combined with developing fog overnight, creating what's sometimes called "superfog," which can cause drastically reduced visibility for motorists."
A dense fog advisory was in effect at the time of the crashes, and visibility was one-quarter to one-half mile in some locations. The conditions affected miles of I-55 northwest of New Orleans between Ponchatoula and LaPlace.
This kind of combination has been a hazard for motorists in the past, including in Florida in March 2022.
"Wind speeds might increase some Monday night and early Tuesday, which would limit the development of another round of fog, but smoke from the fires could still be around," Dolce said.
Locals had been complaining for days about the strong smell of smoke due to a fire burning near Bayou Sauvage. The blaze was caused by a lightning strike on July 29, according to WDSU-TV.
(MORE: Texas Traffic Wrecks Caused By Smoke And Fog)
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service, which was overseeing the fire, is unable to reach the area with fire trucks because it's surrounded by water, WDSU-TV reported. The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans has been pumping water into the area to fight the fire, the report added.
Another fire nearby in Lafitte was also sending smoke into the area. That blaze was reported at 52% containment Sunday night, according to WVUE-TV.
Senior editor Nicole Bonaccorso works as weather.com's photo editor and writes about breaking news, travel, climate and more.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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