2 Dead, 10 Injured After Mississippi Highway Washed Away by Hurricane Ida
Two people are dead and 10 others are injured after part of a Mississippi highway collapsed on Monday night.
According to WKRG, the incident took place on Hwy 26 near Lucedale, a two-lane roadway that runs nearly 80 miles, connecting Louisiana and Mississippi. Authorities believe the washout of the highway was related to rain from Hurricane Ida.
Trooper Cal Robertson with the Mississippi Highway Patrol said a total of seven vehicles fell into a hole created when a portion of the highway washed away.
It's about 50 feet in length and 20 feet deep. I've never seen anything in my 23 years in law enforcement like this.
Robertson also shared that three of the 10 injured are in critical condition.
Mississippi saw torrential rains from Hurricane Ida after the storm battered Louisiana with high winds and a nasty storm surge, making landfall Sunday night as a Category 4 storm.
As of this morning, Ida is categorized as a tropical depression about 145 north-northeast of Jackson, MS as it heads toward Tennessee.