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Massive Alberta highway pileup sends 300 people to hospital after crash

A massive pileup in Canada was the result of a huge snowstorm that struck a busy stretch of Alberta highway between Edmonton and Calgary near Leduc, sending over 300 people to the hospital and causing what Alberta Health Services are treating as "a mass casualty event."

Reports on social media indicate hundreds of cars, transport trucks and buses ended up smashed and scattered across both directions of the highway, with many vehicles being violently tossed around or landing in ditches.

Unsurprisingly, Royal Canadian Mounted Police are blaming blowing snow, icy road conditions and poor visibility for the countless crash pileups. Emergency services reports suggest roughly 300 people were taken to hospital and about 100 of those patients required further medical attention. Fortunately, there's been no reports of any fatalities thus far, though crash victims were transported to nearby hospitals for various injuries.

"Several vehicles and a tractor trailer are off the road and in the ditch due to slippery road conditions," said Leduc RCMP constable Tim Gaultois, adding it will be sometime before the full extent of the carnage is known. The numerous collisions also forced police to shut down the main highway and divert traffic to alternate routes, creating traffic chaos and lengthy lines for many Alberta drivers. Scroll down to watch a Reuters video news report.

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