POTTSVILLE — A stretch of an interstate highway in Pennsylvania remained shuttered Tuesday, a day after at least three people were killed and more than a dozen others injured when tractor-trailers and other vehicles lost control and slammed into each other during a snow squall.

Interstate 81 north remained closed Tuesday afternoon following the wreck Monday morning amid poor visibility that involved between 40 and 60 vehicles, authorities said. State police said no update on the number of fatalities was expected before Wednesday.

The crash Monday on Interstate 81 was captured in videos posted on social media that showed drivers and passengers lining the snowy road and jumping out of the way as the cascade of crashes unfolded. The north and southbound lanes of the highway were closed for several hours after the accident, but the southbound side reopened around 6:30 p.m. Monday. It was not known when the northbound side would reopen.

Numerous vehicles remained on the roadway in the northbound lanes early Tuesday, authorities said. Some vehicles were mostly burned and others melted onto the highway, and authorities said they needed to go through each vehicle to make sure there are no human remains.

UNBELIEVABLE video of a pileup in Schuylkill County as snow squalls brought visibility on Interstate 81 down to near zero. Video shot live by Mike Moye (Facebook) pic.twitter.com/q1BxgUYz2O

— Joe Holden (@JoeHoldenCBS3) March 28, 2022

Trooper David Beohm of the Pennsylvania State Police said Tuesday afternoon that after the highway was cleared, the state transportation department would have to check the highway to determine whether road repairs would be needed before traffic could be allowed to resume.

He said three of the tractor-trailers involved no longer had their tractor portions and one didn’t have tires because they were consumed in the fire. That poses, he said, “some challenges as to how you’re going to move that stuff — not that the tow guys aren’t up to to the task, but it takes time.”

Estimates of the number of vehicles involved from the emergency management agency and state police ranged between 40 and 60, and Boehm said an exact total may not be known for a number of days.

Dr. David J. Moylan, the Schuylkill County coroner, has said three fatalities have been confirmed and that number could rise. A Pennsylvania State Police incident report noted 24 people were taken to four hospitals. People who could get out of their vehicles and walk were taken by buses to a Wegmans Distribution Center and then to Good Will Fire Company in Minersville serving as a reunification center, according to the report.

50-60 vehicles involved in this pileup in Schuylkill County. People described whiteout conditions. Hear from them on @WNEP pic.twitter.com/hRS0UWIyvl

— Nikki Krize (@NikkiKrize) March 28, 2022

In one video, an out of control tractor-trailer smashed into a large dump truck turning it nearly 180 degrees, another large truck caught fire and spewed black smoke into the air, and an SUV struck a passenger car sending it spinning narrowly past a person standing on the shoulder in snow and fog.

Major pileup after lake effect snow created whiteout on I-81 in Schuylkill County, PA… video credit: Sam Beagle. Many folks are in a snow squall warning today — take those seriously and avoid driving if you can — they move through quickly. See you on @ABCWorldNews with the COLD pic.twitter.com/nIs5L7Olow

— Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) March 28, 2022

Schuylkill County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator John Matz said Wegmans opened up its employee lunch room and provided food and beverages to people who were being evaluated by EMS personnel. Those who were not injured were then taken to the Goodwill Fire Company in Minersville by Schuylkill Transportation System buses.

Matz said members of the American Red Cross opened a reception center to provide a safe, warm central hub for those affected, as well as allowing them to receive and send information to their families.

Matz said about 40 or 50 people were helped at the fire company.

Those who had their vehicles destroyed were helped with lodging at the Inn and Suites hotel at the Highridge Industrial Park. Matz said the cost of the lodging was picked up by the Red Cross with assistance from the Schuylkill County United Way.

Matz said that emergency efforts went well considering the enormous amount of vehicles and victims.

“Everybody involved from EMS, the 911 Center and firefighters worked together. Everybody steps up in a time like this,” Matz said.

A driver caught up in the pileup but not injured posted a video that went viral on Facebook and other social media sites.

In the video, the driver exited his vehicle and, recording with his cellphone, captured a tractor-trailer slamming into the back of another tractor-trailer at almost full speed, then a third-tractor trailer slamming into the second truck.

As the driver pans to face south, an SUV can be seen skidding off the road and onto the berm, where it hits a car whose driver had just exited and had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck.

“This is crazy,” the man shooting the video could be heard saying.

After commenting on the severity of the vehicles on fire, the man shooting the video can be heard saying he is going to go and see if he can help anyone involved.

State police were beginning their complicated investigation as to what caused the crash, which was said to be weather related. Involved were troopers from the Frackville station, along with accident reconstruction experts, the motor carrier enforcement unit and the forensic services unit, all from Troop L, Reading.

Firefighters originally shut down the northbound lanes at the Hegins exit, mile marker 112, but later moved the closure south, shutting down the highway at the Tremont exit, mile marker 107.

Southbound traffic was brought to a standstill at the Highridge exit, mile marker 119, and later pushed back to shutting down the road at the Frackville exit, mile marker 124.

Also closed was Keystone Boulevard inside the Highridge Industrial Park, and Gordon Mountain Road and Route 901 in both directions, toward Minersville and into Barry Township.

All roadways were reopened as of 5 p.m., with the exception of the northbound lanes of I-81 and the eastbound lanes of Route 901.

The northbound lanes are expected to remain closed overnight into Tuesday morning as the vehicles were removed and the accident reconstruction was completed.

The crash made headlines on the national news media including the top story on The Weather Channel.

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