A tanker lorry carrying 12,000 litres of diesel turned turtle and lost its entire load on Thursday evening as its valves were damaged in mishap that occurred in Avanipur near Tindivanam. The loss has been estimated at Rs 6.75 lakh.
Babu (27) of Gingee was driving the tanker to a petrol bunk near Siruvadi, when the accident happened. The valves were damaged resulting in a massive leak on the load. Puddles of fuel were seen on the road.
News of the incident spread like wildfire and residents of nearby villages such as Koonerikuppam, Paniyur, Kambur, Oongur and Annampakkam rushed to the spot with empty cans to fill collect the diesel.
However, police from the nearby Olakkur Police Station swung into action and dispersed the crowd to prevent a disaster. The fire brigade was also alerted and rescue personnel cordoned off the area as a safety measure.
A complaint in this regard was lodged at the Olakkur police station.