MALAPPURAM: Panic gripped Tirurkkad and surrounding areas after a gas tanker overturned at Aripra on the National Highway on Sunday. The tanker developed leakage soon after the mishap. The Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the spot and managed to avert a fire outbreak by spraying water on to the gas tanker.
The police issued an alert to not to use fire and electricity and evacuated residents from houses within a 500 metre radius of the accident spot. Electricity was tripped and the road was blocked by diverting traffic.
All vehicles moving towards Kozhikode were asked to take a diversion from Tirurkkad and go to Valluvambram via Anakkayam and Manjeri while vehicles from Kozhikode side were diverted from Valluvambram. The capsule gas tanker, owned by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, was heading towards Coimbatore from Mangaluru and it met with the accident by 8 am when the driver lost control while negotiating a curve at Aripra. The leakage was plugged after experts from the company reached the spot. The company officers also started shifting gas to new two tankers by 3 pm and the vehicle was lifted from the spot by 5 pm.
Fire and rescue officers from Perinthalmanna and Malappuram stations along with policemen from Malappuram, Perinthalmanna and Mankada stations were deployed at the spot. District police chief Debesh Kumar Behera and Perinthalamanna DySP MP Mohanachandran led the rescue operations.
Alert sounded
Following the mishap, the police issued an alert not to use fire and electricity and evacuated residents from houses within a 500 m radius. Electricity was tripped and the road was blocked by diverting traffic. The capsule gas tanker, owned by HPCL, was heading towards Coimbatore