Authorities in eastern Nebraska, United States, say one person has died after a dust storm triggered a 29-vehicle accident along a major highway.

The Nebraska State Patrol said visibility was reduced to nearly zero on Sunday as dust blew in from farm fields along Interstate 80 near York.

A cold, dry April had left the soil in the fields incredibly dry. As farmers tilled the soil in preparation for planting, the wind picked up.

Gusts of over 90km/h kicked the dusty soil into the atmosphere, creating dust storms which greatly reduced visibility.

The patrol said these conditions caused a chain-reaction crash that injured 15 people, including one person who was flown to hospital in Lincoln.

A patrol spokesman confirmed later that one of the injured died on Monday.

The dust storms were blamed for a number of accidents in Nebraska and South Dakota.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies