WASHINGTON - More than 50 people were injured in a massive vehicle pileup on a highway in the US state of Florida, local media reported late Friday.

Fifty-two people were hurt on Friday afternoon in 12 separate collisions involving 47 vehicles on southbound Interstate 75 along Florida's Gulf Coast, said the reports, citing the Florida Highway Patrol.

Twenty-two were sent to nearby hospitals with no injuries considered life-threatening, said authorities, adding that the crashes occurred near the border of Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Part of the highway was shut down for several hours in the afternoon before the scene was cleared.

Authorities disclosed that heavy rain and drivers' error, including aggressive driving, were the main causes of the crashes.