At least seven people have died and dozens more have been injured after a massive 158-car pile-up crash which has been blamed on 'super-fog'

The numbers of dead and injured could yet increase as cops continue to sift through the multi-vehicle wreckage, which occurred in Louisiana on Monday. Officials said the devastation may have been caused by super-fog — a combination of smoke from nearby marsh fires and thick fog — that severely limited visibility on the Interstate 55 near New Orleans.

Cars soon littered both north and southbound lanes after the first crash occurred at 9am yesterday morning. The National Weather Service claims the thick fog made it difficult for drivers to see more than 10 foot in front of them

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Up to 18 tractor trailers were involved in the collision, with three becoming fully engulfed in flames, which spread to other vehicles.

Chain reaction crashes followed the initial wreck and one car ended up in the water below the highway after it was sent flying over a railing.

The crash scene was so severe that first responders and other workers were called in on their day off to respond to the wreck.

Clarencia Patterson Reed, 46, said that she was on the road on Monday morning when she noticed fog thickening around her.

She said she heard the sound of metal compacting and tires popping as cars slammed into one another for at least a half-hour straight.

“It was ‘Boom. Boom.’ All you kept hearing was crashing for at least 30 minutes,” Clarencia Patterson Reed told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.

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Reed was able to remove herself from her car, however her wife Lisa Patterson Reed, 56, was injured in the vehicle.

"We’re grateful because we’re alive. We’re here to tell you what we see up here because some people will not get that chance. It's bad," Reed said.

Christopher Coll, 41, who was on his way to work, also described his frightening experience as he first drove into the foggy pileup.

“I was already on the brakes, slowing down when an F-250 drove up on top of my work trailer and took me for a ride,” Coll said.

A pickup truck crashed into Croll, pushing him into the pileup. In order to escape the wreck, he had to push open his passenger door.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before. It was horrible. It was the worst wreck I’ve ever seen,” Coll said.

Around 100 people were said to be left stranded after the pileup and officials had to use school buses to transport victims to safety.

First responders said they haven't been able to reach one area of the crash site as hazardous material on a tanker truck has yet to be fully offloaded.

“The tractor that pulls the tank is damaged, so they’re gonna have to offload the chemical from that one to a backup tanker, which they’ll have to bring to the site,” Department of Environmental Quality Press Secretary Greg Langley told local Fox affiliate WVUE-TV.

As they continue their work, first responders and the state governor have called on the public to give blood to help victims of the horrific wreck.

Governor John Bel Edwards said: “Please join me and Donna in praying for those hurt and killed in today’s tragic I-55 crash, as well as their families.

"The combination of wildfire smoke and dense fog is dangerous, and I want to encourage all Louisianans in affected areas to take extreme caution when traveling.