MALAPPURAM: A petrol-laden tanker lorry was involved in an accident at Tanur Junction here on Tuesday night, leading to anxious moments among local residents. The incident, which occurred around 9pm, took place when the tanker hit an electric post and petrol started gushing out in the impact of the crash. However, timely intervention by police personnel and fire and rescue service officials averted a major mishap.
The officials later sealed the leak and drained out the petrol remaining in the tanker to another tanker. Traffic on the route was disrupted as the authorities blocked the roads to carry out rescue operations. The residents of the area were evacuated and power supply to the locality was also switched off as a precautionary measure. Fire fighters from Tanur and other parts of the district rushed to the spot immediately after the incident.
Earlier in the day, the driver of a lorry was killed when his vehicle collided with a mini bus at the Devadhar bridge in Tanur. The deceased is Kuttikkatt Muneer, 40, a native of Kozhikode.
Muneer was trapped inside the lorry in the mishap, which took place around 4.30 pm. However, rescue workers managed to pull Muneer out and rush him to a nearby hospital. But he could not be saved.