A chemical-laden tanker overturned and caught fire on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway in Haryana's Nuh district on Wednesday, leaving its driver critically injured and triggering a massive traffic jam, police said.
The accident occurred around noon near Khod Basai, close to the Nuh-Gurugram border, under the jurisdiction of Rojka Meo police station.
According to police, the tanker was travelling from Manesar towards Palwal when the driver allegedly shifted the vehicle into neutral while negotiating a downhill stretch. The tanker subsequently gained speed, went out of control and rammed into a road divider before overturning.
The driver managed to jump out of the vehicle but sustained critical injuries. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐น๐น ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ
Following the collision, chemicals spilled from the overturned tanker onto the expressway and caught fire, causing panic among motorists and people in the surrounding area.
The flames continued to burn for a considerable period, prompting authorities to deploy five to six fire tenders to contain the blaze.
Police, fire department personnel and district administration officials rushed to the accident site and launched an emergency response operation.
Firefighters worked to bring the flames under control while police secured the surrounding area to prevent further accidents.
The nature of the chemicals being transported was not immediately disclosed.
๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ต ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐
As a precautionary measure, police stopped vehicular movement on the expressway in both directions while firefighting operations were underway.
The restrictions resulted in severe congestion, with queues of vehicles extending nearly one kilometre on either side of the accident site.
Motorists travelling along the busy expressway were left stranded as emergency teams worked to extinguish the fire and secure the affected stretch.
The incident disrupted traffic on the KMP Expressway, a major transport corridor connecting Kundli, Manesar and Palwal and used extensively by commercial vehicles.
๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐
Firefighters eventually brought the blaze under control after nearly three hours of continuous efforts, officials said.
"After three hours of efforts, the fire personnel managed to bring the blaze under control. The injured driver was admitted to the hospital," a Nuh police spokesperson said.
Authorities continued to monitor the situation following the firefighting operation, while the accident raised concerns over the transportation of hazardous materials on busy highways.
Police said the driver's condition remained critical following the accident.