The eastbound lanes of Highway 401 are closed near Belleville following a collision involving at least 50 vehicles, including numerous tractor-trailers.
According to Ontario Provincial Police, the crash happened between County Road 30 and County Road 40 at around midnight.
Four people were transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries as a result.
The cause of the collision has not been determined, however OPP say it happened as the weather worsened, bringing snow, icy roads and poor visibility to the area.
Initial reports from the scene suggested that one of the tractor-trailers was carrying oil, which was leaking onto the ground in the aftermath of the crash, however OPP say they are not able to confirm that detail at this point.
Following the crash, an emergency management team with representatives from a number of nearby municipalities was assembled and buses from Quinte West were brought to the area to transport about 50 stranded drivers to a nearby hotel, according to Mayor Jim Harrison.
Efforts were then shifted to the removal of the stranded vehicles.
“It is going to take a while. It is quite a mess and quite a situation but number one is that no one was really hurt seriously and number two is that there were no fires and people were removed quickly and looked after,” Harrison told CP24 on Wednesday morning. "We got things in place very quickly and everybody responded and worked well together."
The entire highway was closed between Wallbridge Loyalist Road and County Road 30 for about four hours, however one westbound lane has since reopened.
OPP say the eastbound lanes of the highway will remain closed until further notice.
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