Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Jul 30: A major accident was averted on Wednesday after a tanker carrying Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) overturned on the Cortalim–Chicalim highway near St Jacinto Island while en route to Mopa Airport.

No casualties were reported in the incident, though authorities launched a large-scale emergency operation due to the highly inflammable nature of the fuel.

According to sources, the accident occurred after the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle while attempting to drink water. The fully loaded tanker veered off the road and overturned beyond the highway. The driver sustained only minor injuries.

Despite the busy traffic on the route, the tanker did not collide with any other vehicles, preventing what could have been a major accident. Since the vehicle came to rest off the carriageway, traffic movement remained largely unaffected.

Local residents alerted the Fire and Emergency Services, whose personnel rushed to the spot and carried out an initial assessment. Suspecting a possible fuel leak, officials immediately informed the Disaster Management Authority and the oil tanking company to prevent any untoward incident.

Revenue officials, including the Mamlatdar and Talathi, also visited the site to monitor the situation. The area around the overturned tanker was cordoned off, and the public was advised to avoid smoking or using any ignition sources near the site as a precaution.

Representatives of the oil company later arrived with specialised equipment to contain any fuel leakage. However, officials said the operation could only proceed after the tanker was lifted.

As the fully loaded vehicle weighed around 70 tonnes, a heavy-duty crane was brought in to remove it. After several hours of coordinated efforts, the tanker was successfully lifted and cleared from the site by late evening, with officials confirming that all necessary safety measures had been followed.