Pileups Involving 200 Cars Kill 7 in West Germany Fog; 100 Hurt

FRANKFURT, West Germany —  Fog combined with heavy traffic led to three separate highway pileups Saturday that involved more than 200 cars and killed seven people, police said. Nearly 100 people were reported injured.

The worst crash involved 134 cars on the main highway between Frankfurt and Munich. Six people died and 72 were injured, 43 of them seriously, police said.

“There are wrecked cars all over the place. The injured are bleeding and screaming. It looks like a slaughterhouse,” said a police officer.

Another person died when 74 cars crashed into each other on the Frankfurt-Berlin highway, police said. Seven people were critically injured and 15 others suffered less serious injuries in that accident.

The third pileup, with 16 cars and five injuries, occurred on another highway near Frankfurt, police reported. One of the five suffered serious injuries.

Police said all three pileups were caused by fast driving in foggy conditions. There are usually no speed limits on West German autobahns.

Traffic was particularly heavy Saturday morning because of a short holiday marking the carnival season.