100-car pile-up shuts down Interstate 39 near El Paso, Illinois

EL PASO, Ill. (WLS) -- Interstate 39 is shut down in downstate Illinois as authorities respond to a 100-car pileup Thursday afternoon.

Multiple crashes involving over 100 vehicles took place in the southbound lanes around 3:13 p.m. near El Paso, about 50 miles east of Peoria, Illinois State Police said.

An ABC7 sent us video showing a mangled mess of cars and semi-trucks as panicked drivers tried to find safety.

WATCH | Driver captures moments after 100-car pile-up

Raw video shows the moments after an ABC7 viewer was involved in a 100-car pileup that shut down I-39 near El Paso, Illinois.

At this point, authorities have yet to report any injuries.

Traffic is being diverted off I-39 at El Paso (Exit 14) and onto IL 251 to bypass the crash site, Illinois State Police said.

I-39 southbound will be shut down from Normal to Minonk for an extended period of time, approximately 12 hours, according to state police.

A major winter storm created treacherous travel conditions across Illinois Thursday. IDOT tweeted this video of whiteout conditions near Peoria Thursday afternoon.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.