2 Dead In Snowy, 40-vehicle Highway Crash In Md.

Associated Press - January 19, 2009 3:53 PM ET

MYERSVILLE, Md. (AP) - Maryland State Police say two people have died in a snowy highway pileup involving 35 cars and five tractor-trailers.

Forty-five people were taken to a Red Cross shelter by bus. One person was critically injured, said State Police spokeswoman Elena Russo.

The pileup happened about 12:30 p.m. on Interstate 70 near South Mountain in northwestern Maryland. An inch.5 of snow quickly fell around the same time and Russo says a preliminary investigation found the snow was at least partly to blame for the crash.

The westbound lanes of the highway will likely be closed at least through rush hour as crews clean up.

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