Pic only for representation
The accident was reported at Pugaon village, where the tanker turned turtle, blocking the side margin and most of the two lanes of the highway, affecting vehicular movement. The chemical was leaking from the manhole area on the top. Following the accident, the administration has restricted the area to a ‘No Mobile Zone’. A crane was pressed into service to lift away the tanker to a nearby safe area. The highway safety patrol and the Kolad police, with the help of the local volunteers of Sahyadri Vanyajeev Rakshanarth Samajik Sanstha (SVRSS), undertook the operation. The traffic movement on the highway was completely blocked during the operation. Later, water was sprayed on the tanker as part of a cooling exercise. Thereafter, under expert supervision, the gas leakage was arrested. Also known as tert-butanol, the chemical is used in organic synthesis and as a solvent to manufacture other chemical intermediaries.