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Heavy fog and snow cause huge autobahn pile-up in Bavaria

12 March 2010 14:14 (UTC +04:00)

Baku - APA. Police in Bavaria reported that up to 170 vehicles were involved in a massive accident on the A8 motorway on Friday morning, as a spring snowstorm and thick fog created dangerous road conditions throughout the southern state, APA reports.
The cars and trucks were unable to avoid the pile-up, which spanned a one-kilometre stretch of the motorway near Augsburg around 7 am, police said. Major delays were expected as authorities shut down both directions of the autobahn for clean-up. The closure means those heading into the stateâ€™s capital of Munich on that road will have to find an alternate route.
One eyewitness said the scene was â€œabsolute chaosâ€ and looked like a junkyard. Police reported that about 17 people were hurt in the accident, but there was no word of serious injuries. Rescuers set up heated tents to conduct medical exams and treat the wounded. Meanwhile another 20 vehicles were part of other accidents on a county road between Hunderdorf and Hermannsdorf in the Straubing-Bogen county. Police said driving conditions there were extremely icy and closed the road following three injuries resulting from the accidents.