VASCO
A major accident was averted on Wednesday morning after a tanker carrying Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) overturned on the Cortalim–Chicalim highway near St Jacinto Island while travelling towards Mopa Airport.
The incident triggered a large-scale emergency response due to the highly inflammable nature of the fuel, although no casualties were reported.
According to sources, the accident occurred after the driver allegedly lost control of the tanker while attempting to drink water. The fully loaded vehicle veered off the road and overturned on its side beyond the highway. The driver escaped with minor injuries.
The tanker did not collide with any oncoming vehicles despite the busy traffic on the highway, preventing what could have been a major chain-reaction accident.
As the vehicle came to rest outside the carriageway, traffic movement remained largely unaffected and no major congestion was reported.
Local residents immediately alerted the Fire and Emergency Services, whose personnel rushed to the spot and carried out a preliminary assessment.
Since the tanker was carrying ATF, officials suspected possible fuel leakage and promptly informed the Disaster Management Authority and the oil tanking company to prevent any untoward incident.
Revenue officials, including the Mamlatdar and Talathi, later visited the site to monitor the situation. The area around the tanker was barricaded as a precautionary measure, and people were advised not to smoke near the accident site due to the risk of ignition.
Representatives of the oil tanking company arrived with specialised equipment to contain any leakage. However, officials said the equipment could only be used effectively after the overturned tanker was lifted. Since the fully loaded tanker weighed around 70 tonnes, the vehicle owner had to arrange a heavy-duty crane.
After several hours of coordinated efforts, the tanker was successfully removed by late evening. All necessary safety measures were implemented, bringing the emergency operation to a safe conclusion.
