(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-21 17:04

PRAGUE -- Thirty people were injured, six of them seriously, in a chain collision accident involving 116 cars on Thursday in a heavy snowstorm on D1 motorway between Prague and Brno in the Czech Republic

The injured have been rushed to the nearest hospitals.

Thousands of others were blocked in the tailbacks along the motorway.

The accident occurred between the 91st and the 134th kilometer of D1, regional rescue squad deputy head Edita Richterova said.

Helicopters assisted on the spot, while several ambulances have got stuck in the traffic jam, the Czech news agency CTK quoted witnesses as saying.

Fire fighters and police officers also took part in the rescue operation, while Czech Interior Minister Ivan Langer was reportedly considering sending the military for assistance.

Queues are dozens of kilometers long along D1, which is not only the oldest and the longest, but also the busiest and the most dangerous motorway in the country, the CTK said.

Up to 100,000 cars use the D1 in rush hours a day. Around 3,000 accidents occur on the motorway annually.

Meteorologists forecast a heavy snowfall on Friday, warning of a strong southwestern wind that could turn into a windstorm in the mountains.