Story highlights Three people are in critical condition

The accident involves at least 46 vehicles, police say

There are no immediate reports of fatalities

Fifty-two people were hurt Friday in a pileup involving dozens of vehicles on an interstate highway on Florida's Gulf Coast, police said.

The accident, which occurred about 3:30 p.m., involved at least 46 vehicles in the southbound lanes of I-75 on the Manatee/Sarasota county line, said Lt. Chris Miller with the Florida Highway Patrol. Twenty-two people, three of them in critical condition, were taken to area hospitals, he said.

None of the injuries was considered life-threatening, he said. "Quite a few had minor injuries that didn't require transport," he said.

The incident occurred about the time an afternoon thunderstorm struck, he said. "Weather was a contributing factor."

The Sarasota County Fire Department said that 29 people were taken to hospitals.