Diesel spilled onto the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway (NH44) after a tanker lorry proceeding from Mangalore overturned at Chettiyappanur village near Vaniyambadi town in Tirupattur..
Police said that S. Kamesh, 38, a native of Hosur, was driving the diesel tanker lorry from Mangalore with a consignment of 20,000 litres of diesel to an oil depot in Chennai on the stretch. He tried to overtake a government town bus that was heading towards Vellore when he lost control of the vehicle. The tanker lorry rammed into the median and got overturned. The incident happened around 6.30 a.m.
In the impact, diesel from the tanker lorry spilled on the carriageway. The driver of the tanker escaped with minor injuries. Immediately, passersby and motorists alerted fire fighters and Vaniyambadi Taluk police.
After more than an hour of hard labour, firefighters managed to remove diesel spilled on the stretch and cleared the route for traffic. Police said that some residents also took a small quantity of diesel from the overturned tanker lorry before police prevented them. The injured driver was admitted to the Government Taluk Hospital in Vaniyambadi town where doctors said that his condition is stable. A case was registered against the tanker lorry driver. A probe is under way.
