23 November 2012 Last updated at 13:40 ET

Two killed in 140-vehicle pile-up on foggy Texas road

Aftermath of the 100-vehicle pile-up

Two people have died and scores were injured after a pile-up involving at least 140 vehicles on a foggy motorway in the US state of Texas.

More than 80 people were taken to hospital and at least 10 seriously hurt, local media report.

It happened on Interstate 10 near Beaumont, about 80 miles (130km) east of Houston, on Thanksgiving morning.

Rescuers scrambled to pull survivors from miles of wreckage, which left mangled lorries on top of each other.

'Catastrophic'

A man and woman died after their sports utility vehicle was crushed by a tractor trailer.

Police identified them as Debra Leggio, 60, and Vincent Leggio, 64. They were Texas grandparents driving to Mississippi to celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary, New York's Daily News reports.

Emergency services did not initially realise the scale of the carnage because of the dense fog.

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Deputy Rod Carroll said: "It is catastrophic. I've got cars on top of cars."

He said uninjured drivers and passengers had gone to the aid of others while authorities sorted through the wreckage.

"It's just people helping people," he said.

"The foremost thing in this holiday season is how other travellers were helping us when we were overwhelmed, sitting and holding, putting pressure on people that were injured."

The motorway's eastbound lanes were reopened later on Thursday after more than eight hours.

A family walks away from the pile-up on Interstate 10 in Texas