( CNN ) -- One person was killed and four critically injured Tuesday in a series of highway pileups triggered by a dense dust storm on Interstate 10 in central Arizona , a state law enforcement official said . The dust storm moved through the Pichacho Peak area , about 40 miles north of Tucson , at about 12:15 p.m. ( 3:15 p.m . ET ) and caused `` minimal visibility '' on a stretch of Interstate 10 there , said Bart Graves , a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety . `` We have two chain reaction crashes in the westbound lanes , '' Graves said . `` All involve commercial vehicles and passenger cars . There is one confirmed fatality and two additional victims with life-threatening injuries . '' Graves said 16 vehicles were involved in the chain reaction accidents at Pichacho Peak . `` We closed the eastbound lanes to allow emergency responders access to the scene , '' he said . `` Due to the poor visibility , all patients were transported by ground ambulance to Tucson area hospitals . '' `` The dust continues to cause a major hindrance to DPS officers and other rescue personnel , '' Graves said . Another pileup , this one involving eight vehicles , occurred about an hour and a half later , 20 miles to the south on I-10 , Graves said . Two people were critically injured in that incident , which occurred on the eastbound lanes of I-10 . Graves said he could not estimate when the interstate would reopen in either direction . CNN 's Tina Burnside contributed to this report .
NEW : One suffered critical injuries in chain-reaction incident about 40 miles north of Arizona . One person died and One suffered life-threatening injuries in Pichacho Peak incident . The storm caused `` minimal visibility '' along Pichacho Peak north of Tucson .