Pune: Gas Tanker Carrying Toxic Chemical Overturns On Pune-Ahmednagar Highway, Causing Leakage | Watch

A tanker carrying ethylene oxide, a highly flammable and toxic gas, toppled and leaked near Vadgaon Sheri Chowk on the Pune-Ahmednagar Highway, triggering a major emergency situation in Maharashtra’s Pune. The tanker was operated by Reliance Petrochemicals and it overturned on its way to an industrial unit late at night on Monday.

The fire brigade and Pune Police rushed to the spot around 12.47 am and started spraying water on the tanker to prevent explosion and toxic exposure. The area was cordoned off and the traffic was diverted. The driver of the tanker was hospitalized with respiratory distress while there were no other cases of gas exposure.  

#WATCH | Maharashtra: A gas tanker carrying ethylene oxide overturned on Pune-Ahmednagar road this morning, traffic affected: Pune Fire Department

Pune Fire Department team is on the spot. Efforts are underway to empty the tank, experts from Reliance Petrochemicals are present… pic.twitter.com/98nyM2vVAA

— ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2023

“Considering the seriousness of the leak and risk of explosion and toxic exposure, we started deploying fire tenders from all nearby fire stations to the spot. Prima facie the tanker is operated by Reliance Petrochemicals and we informed the company officials,” a fire brigade official said as quoted by The Indian Express. 

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The fire brigade official said the leak posed a serious risk of explosion and toxic exposure. He stated that the fire tenders had started continuous spraying of water on the tanker from the spot where the leak was taking place. The official added that the spraying had not stopped even for a moment since the fire tenders reached the spot, the report said. 

The fire brigade is working to prevent any further damage. Meanwhile, the cause of the leak is yet to be determined.