Aerial footage of the Dallas-Fort Worth pile up this morning showed masses of cars and trucks slammed into each other in a mangled mess of metal and debris.
The more than 100-vehicle pile up resulted in five fatalities and at least 36 injuries. Some of the injured were taken to trauma units with serious injuries.
The pile up occurred early this morning and was likely caused by icy roads caused by a cold weather system across the central and northern parts of Texas.
The mass accident occurred on Interstate 35 West.
By 10:30, emergency responders said most of the drivers who were trapped in their vehicles had been rescued.
Earlier in the day Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Mike Drivdahl said that emergency crews would need to go "vehicle-by-vehicle" to help rescue people from their cars and check for injuries.
MedStar Mobile Healthcare spokesman Matt Zavadsky told the Dallas Morning News that the clean up operation would likely take multiple days.
"This is a mess," he said.
Photos from the crash showed numerous tractor-trailers smashed together, with some wedged between other vehicles, cutting off access to the vehicles' doors.
The police department asked anyone involved in minor accidents to exchange insurance information and to leave the scene without calling the authorities as law enforcement was overwhelmed trying to help other motorists.
Fort Worth's Emergency Management office said family members looking for loved ones they suspect were involved in the crash could call the city's reunification centre to locate their loved ones.
Crashes were reported across Texas due to the icy roads.
Another 25-car pile up was reported in Austin.
In Arlington, police responded to 23 accidents likely caused by the icy conditions.
Law enforcement has asked that Texas residents in areas affected by the inclement weather avoid travel if at all possible.
