Fog causes 51-vehicle pile-up

Heavy fog led to a 51-vehicle pile-up on the highway linking Chile’s capital Santiago to the port city of Valparaiso today, killing five people and injuring more than 20.

Police said the accident started when one small vehicle stopped suddenly due to lack of visibility in the dense morning fog which was made worse, witnesses said, by smoke from the burning of nearby fields.

The victims included the brother, brother-in-law and nephew of one of the responding firefighters, as well as an 11-year-old boy whose body was pulled from the wreckage of a truck cabin.

Health minister Jaime Manalich said two helicopters as well as numerous ambulances responded. In all, 23 trucks, 11 buses and 17 cars were involved.