By Xinhua
Washington : At least five people were killed and dozens injured in car accidents in central US after a severe snowstorm hit the region Saturday.
The snowstorm was blamed for numerous car pileups on highways that killed three people in Minnesota, one in Kansas and one in Texas. Stretches of several major highways were closed.
More than 50 vehicles piled up as snow and fog reduced visibility to practically nil in Texas. At least 18 people were injured, and two of them were in critical condition, the police said.
In Kansas, at least one person was killed in a 30-car pileup on a highway, and authorities closed a 65 km section of the highway.
The storm also affected flights at airports in some Midwestern states as holiday travel was getting underway.
In Chicago, flights at O’Hare International Airport, one of the busiest in the country, were delayed for about one hour and about 170 flights were cancelled, airport authorities said.