Ten people die in Florida car crash

Ten people have died in a horrific car crash on a highway in Florida, after smoke from a brushfire significantly reduced visibility on the road.
Eighteen were also injured in the multi-car pileup which occurred at around 3:45am local time on Sunday.

Even as rescue workers arrived to free trapped drivers in Gainesville, Florida, thick smoke made it difficult to see victims of the crash. The incident was said to have involved 12 cars and seven trucks.

Police said that the wreckage stretched back for almost a mile down the highway.

"It was just so crazy," driver Stephen Camps told CNN. “We were just sitting in the car and all of this came out of nowhere.

“As it was happening on the northbound side, it was happening on the southbound side as well," he added. “There was nowhere to go, it was just cars hitting cars and cars.” Six of the 18 injured drivers were in critical condition on Sunday night.

"It's tragic," Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Patrick Riordan told Reuters. "It's probably the worst accident I've seen in 27 years."