As many as 70 cars collided on the snow-covered freeway, killing Dana Easter, 53, of Independence, Missouri.
Authorities reported that several other people were taken to the hospital.
Officials with the Story County Sheriff’s Department told KCCI that the crash is the worst they’ve ever seen.
Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Nathan Ludwig told KCCI that eight people died on Iowa roads Monday. Altogether, troopers responded to 185 accidents across the state, he said.
A tour bus transporting cast and crew of "Dancing with the Stars: Live! Light Up the Night" was involved in a crash on Interstate 80, presumably due to hazardous conditions after snow fell over much of the state.
The bus was en route to Stephens Auditorium in Ames. All the cast and crew members are fine, with some recovering from minor injuries.