Storm cripples Plains highways

A blinding snowstorm blew across the Plains on Saturday, causing numerous multicar pileups and forcing authorities to close portions of several major highways.

One person died in a chain- reaction crash involving more than 50 vehicles, including several tractor-trailer rigs, on Interstate 40, police said. Authorities said it would take days to determine how many were involved.

Many in the pileup were holiday travelers, including families with small children not dressed for the weather, Amarillo police Sgt. Shawn McLeland said. Other drivers spotted them and opened Christmas presents to provide warmer clothing for the children.

The tangle of cars and trucks shut down the interstate most of the day. Authorities think the crash was caused by blowing snow, resulting in zero visibility.

In northeast Kansas, at least one person was killed in a 30-car pileup on Interstate 70, prompting authorities to close a 40-mile stretch of the highway. The crashes occurred about 30 miles west of Topeka.

The storm caused another wreck involving 20 to 40 vehicles, including three tractor-trailer rigs, on Interstate 29 in St. Joseph in northwestern Missouri. Police closed about 100 miles of I-29 to the Iowa state line.

The Plains storm also blew heavy snow across Oklahoma and parts of Nebraska and Iowa, a region still recovering from a severe ice storm early last week.