Diesel spills onto Tiruvannamalai-Bengaluru Highway as lorry overturns

Diesel spill on NH77 after tanker overturns, causing collision and injuries, prompting firefighters to clear the route for traffic.

Diesel spilled onto the Tiruvannamalai-Bengaluru Highway (NH77) after a tanker lorry proceeding from Mangalore overturned at Periyakolapadi village near Tiruvannamalai town on Sunday.

Police said that K. Kannan (43), a native of Dharmapuri, was driving the diesel tanker lorry from Mangalore with a consignment of 20,000 litres of diesel to an oil depot in Panruti town in Cuddalore district on the stretch. He tried to overtake a government town bus that was coming from Chengam to Tiruvannamalai town when he suddenly noticed an empty minivan that was coming from the opposite direction on the stretch. The oil tanker lorry and mini-van collided and got overturned. The incident happened around 4.30 a.m.

In the impact, mini-van driver K. Santhosh Kumar (25), a native of Bargur (Krishnagiri), was severely injured and others escaped unhurt. Diesel from the tanker lorry spilled on the carriageway. Immediately, passersby and motorists alerted fire fighters and Tiruvannamalai West 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 Medical College in Tiruvannamalai town where doctors said that his condition is stable. A case was registered against the tanker lorry driver, Kannan. A probe is under way.