ERIE COUNTY, Ohio — A winter storm impacting tens of millions of Americans is blamed for a massive crash that forced the Ohio Turnpike to shut down for several miles.

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The Ohio Turnpike was shut down Friday afternoon both east and westbound between exits 91 and 118, WTOL reported.

Officials told WTVG the first crashes were reported around 11:45 a.m., with the massive pileup starting shortly thereafter at approximately 12:30 p.m.

Ohio State Highway Patrol officials told WEWS that an estimated 50 vehicles were involved in the crashes, which happened on the eastbound lanes of I-80. Officials said whiteout conditions caused the accidents.

“This is going to be ongoing for a while,” a spokesperson for OSHP told WTVG. “There are a lot of troopers and first responders out there working through this.”

A video posted to social media by a driver shows dozens of cars, including pickup trucks and semis, with one truck wedged on top of other cars.

Toledo Fire & Rescue shared photos from the scene on social media which showed rows of emergency vehicles staged to respond.

OSHP said Friday night that three people were killed in the crash.

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