Two killed, nine injured in major 35-vehicle pile-up on freeway in Bakersfield

Two people were killed and nine others sustained injuries on Saturday after 35 vehicles were involved in a major pile-up on a freeway west of Bakersfield in the US state of California, ABC7 reported.

A major chain-reaction collision occurred on Saturday morning on the I-5 Freeway, involving 35 vehicles, including 17 passenger vehicles and 18 big rigs, with fog possibly contributing to the incident.

At about 7:30am, emergency personnel were summoned to a collision on the southbound I-5 near Millux Road. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) said that the collision happened in foggy conditions.

When firefighters arrived at the "chaotic" scene, visibility was only around 10 feet, according to Jim Calhoun of the Kern County Fire Department, who briefed the media.

Two people were pronounced dead at the scene, nine others were taken to the hospitals in the area with minor injuries.

The crash site was spread out about a half mile and fire responders treated the most severely injured patients first, Calhoun said.

The southbound I-5 lanes in the area will remain closed through the night due to investigation and cleanup, according to Caltrans.

The California Highway Patrol said the southbound lanes of the 5 Freeway between SR-223 and Older River Road have been closed for investigation and cleanup until further notice. It's unclear when the roads will reopen.

Meanwhile, the Southbound traffic was being diverted to eastbound Highway 223.

The US is currently dealing with a severe winter storm with rain and snowfall in many parts of the country. Weather experts and officials have advised locals to stay inside until the storm passes.