3 dead, "numerous" injuries after several crashes in heavy fog on Florida interstate

March 3 (UPI) -- Three people were killed and several others injured after a number of multi-vehicle accidents in dense fog on a Florida interstate early Thursday morning, state troopers said.

The collisions happened around 1:30 a.m. on Interstate 95 in southern Volusia County in east-central Florida.

Several vehicles were involved in the crashes, including tractor-trailers, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Kim Montes told a news conference.

In addition to the three fatalities, "numerous" people were injured in the crashes, including one child who was airlifted to the hospital.

Troopers haven't determined the exact number of injuries yet.

Montes called the fact there were any survivors "miraculous."

"I'm amazed that some of the people walked away from this," she said.

Four separate crashes occurred in the interstate's northbound lanes and involved 11 vehicles. A southbound crash involved six vehicles, troopers said.

Montes said "visibility dropped to zero" after the fog mixed with smoke from an unknown source.

"We came on down the road, everything was white. We couldn't see nothing," truck driver John Johnson told a local NBC affiliate.