Eight killed after freak motorway sandstorm

AFP/Berlin

Firefighters work on the site of a pile-up of at least 40 cars and trucks on the A19 motorway near Kavelstorf near Rostock, northeastern Germany, where at least eight people died

At least eight people died yesterday in a huge blaze on a motorway in eastern Germany after a freak sandstorm caused pile-ups, police said.Strong winds blew sand and earth onto the four-lane A19 autobahn near Rostock in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state, severely hindering visibility for motorists and causing accidents in both directions.Northbound, three lorries and 17 cars slammed into each other and were engulfed in flames, possibly caused by chemicals on one of the trucks catching fire, police said.A spokesman said the toll could still rise, as rescue workers were still searching for bodies in the smoking, mangled wreckage.On the other side of the road at least 30 cars crashed, but there were no fatalities.Strong winds impeded rescue workers and the road was closed in both directions until further notice.More than 80 people were injured, some of them seriously.The Bild daily on its website put the death toll at 10.