Two people have been killed and more than 80 hurt when at least 140 vehicles collided on a Texas highway in dense fog, leaving trucks twisted on top of each other and authorities rushing to pull survivors from the wreckage.

"It is catastrophic," said Rod Carroll, deputy at the Jefferson County sheriff's office. "I've got cars on top of cars."

The crashes happened on Interstate 10 about 80 miles east of Houston on Thursday morning.

Carroll said 80 to 90 people were taken to the hospital, with 10 to 12 of those in a serious to critical condition. Up to 150 vehicles were involved in the pileup. The fog was so thick officers attending the scene did not immediately realise they were dealing with multiple accidents, he added.

According to the Texas department of public safety, a crash on the eastbound side of the highway triggered a series of other accidents. There were also multiple crashes on the other side of the highway.