2 killed in Mississippi highway collapse after Hurricane Ida blows through

Two people were killed in Mississippi when a highway collapsed after Hurricane Ida blew through the region.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol said on Facebook Tuesday morning that a portion of Highway 26 in George County collapsed.

Ten people were also injured, three of them critically.

“While we are still in the early stages of this investigation, motorists can expect Highway 26 to be closed at this location until further notice,” authorities said.

Highway 26, a two-lane highway, is the main artery between Mississippi and Louisiana, according to CNN. The network reported that seven vehicles went into the hole created by a washout.

“I’ve never seen anything in my 23 years in law enforcement like this,” Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper Cal Robertson told CNN.

Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm, causing widespread flooding and extreme winds, but has since been downgraded to a tropical depression. Over 1 million people have been left without power.

The highway collapse brings the death toll from Ida to four. 

The first death related to Ida was reported on Sunday in Ascension Parish in Louisiana, where an individual was struck by a tree. 

On Monday, the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed the second death related to Ida in New Orleans, where a man drowned after his vehicle attempted to go through floodwater.