ABCOne of the Dancing With the Stars: Live! Light Up the Night tour buses was involved in a fatal, multiple-vehicle pile-up amid a snowstorm in Ames, Iowa on Monday, E! News can confirm.
The Iowa State Patrol confirms to E! News that there was a traffic accident involving at least 50 vehicles on I-35 in Iowa around noon on Monday. The ISP confirmed that there was one fatality and that five people were critically injured.
Hannah Hilyard of KCCI first tweeted the news, writing, "One of the Dancing with the Stars tour buses heading to Ames for a performance tonight was involved in the 70+ vehicle pileup on I-35 southbound. Cast and crew members are okay -- some recovering from minor injuries. Their show is cancelled for tonight."
A spokesperson for Dancing With the Stars: Live! Light Up the Night released a statement, explaining that the cast and crew were okay, despite some receiving minor injuries.
The statement read, "One of the tour buses transporting cast and crew of Dancing with the Stars: Live! Light Up The Night was involved in a multi-car accident this afternoon due to bad weather while en route to Ames, Iowa. All cast and crew members are fine, with some recovering from minor injuries."
The spokesperson also added that the show was indeed cancelled: "Given this unforeseen accident, and the fact that the safety and health of our cast and crew is of the utmost importance, tonight's show at Stephens Auditorium in Ames, IA has been cancelled. To anyone involved in the accident, the entire cast sends their best wishes for a speedy recovery, and their deepest apologies to all of the fans who have been waiting to see the show tonight."
The Dancing With the Stars Tour features celebs Jordan Fisher and Frankie Muniz, as well as pro dancers Sharna Burgess, Jenna Johnson, Alan Bersten and Hayley Erbert and others.
Following the fatal accident, Fisher tweeted, "Thanking God for the safety of our crew. Thanks for the prayers and well-wishes."
Prior to the crash, Munoz had tweeted that he was on the bus and there was a blizzard: "Riding in the bus on our way to the show tonight in Ames, Iowa, looking out the window at the snow covered ground in this crazy blizzard listening to unreleased songs of a band I was in 8 years ago..."
The Stephens Auditorium confirmed on its Facebook that tonight's performance was cancelled: "One of the tour buses transporting cast and crew of Dancing with the Stars: Live! Light Up The Night was involved in a multi-car accident this afternoon due to bad weather while en route to Ames, Iowa. All cast and crew members are fine, with some recovering from minor injuries."
The statement continued, "Given this unforeseen accident, and the fact that the safety and health of our cast and crew is of the utmost importance, tonight's show at Stephens Auditorium in Ames, IA has been cancelled. To anyone involved in the accident, the entire cast sends their best wishes for a speedy recovery, and their deepest apologies to all of the fans who have been waiting to see the show tonight."
Reporter Todd Magel tweeted a photo from the scene and wrote, "As many as 70 cars involved in a massive crash on I 35 near Ames. One person dead, possibly five critically injured. Story county sheriffs department says it’s the worst crash they’ve ever seen."
According to the tour's press information, "ABC's number one entertainment show is hitting the road! This year, the multi-Emmy award winning Dancing with the Stars is heading out of the studio and into your local dance hall. Featuring some of the show's most popular competitors, this live tour will recreate the most memorable dances from the programme's 25 seasons, as well as showcase brand new never-before-seen routines! The line-up is set to include a host of famous names, as well as some favorites from the show!"
E! News has reached out to ABC for further details.