Five people were taken to hospital after a major pile-up on the E22 in Blekinge near Sölvesborg on Monday. Strong winds blew sand that suddenly reduced visibility for drivers, according to witnesses. The road was closed in both directions for several hours.
A pile-up occurred just outside Sölvesborg on the E22 around 3 p.m. on Monday, involving 15 to 16 vehicles and about 30 people. Five people were taken to hospital, but injury severity remains unclear. Police said vehicles crashed on both sides of the median barrier in both directions, and it is not confirmed whether sand caused the accident.
Drivers described visibility dropping suddenly. "It was like driving straight into a wall where visibility went to zero in a microsecond," one motorist told Sydöstran. Maryam Ramadhan, passing by, told SVT Nyheter: "It looks like fog. We start approaching and then suddenly we're in it, I've never experienced anything like it." She described the sand cloud as a wall where they could barely see half a meter ahead.
Rescue services confirmed strong winds blew sand from fields, leading to very poor visibility, according to control operator Johanna Månsson. The road was closed in both directions after the alert at 3:15 p.m. Rescue leader Peter Jönsson said 24 people would be bused to Sölvesborg for information, with operations expected until 8 p.m.
Traffic was diverted, and the road reopened around 10 p.m. after clearing car debris and repairing the median, according to Trafikverket's Daniel Mossberg. Police cleared the scene by 7 p.m., and the investigation continues.
