Firefighters work among cars in a pile-up on the M1 motorway near Herceghalom, Hungary. Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)

BUDAPEST (AP) — A pileup involving dozens of cars and trucks in Hungary on Saturday left many injured and several vehicles set on fire.

Police said the collision involving five semi-trailers and 37 other vehicles happened on the M1 highway about 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Budapest.

As a result of the accident, 19 vehicles caught fire and 36 people were injured; Thirteen of them were in serious condition and one in life-threatening condition, police said.

The National Disaster Protection Directorate said in a statement that the fires have been extinguished and four helicopters and rescue teams have arrived to pick up the injured.

Authorities closed the M1 to two-way traffic as rescue and cleanup operations dragged on into the night.

The motorway’s operating company, the Hungarian Concession for Infrastructure Development, said on Facebook that a dust storm could have caused a sharp reduction in visibility.

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