Massive fire breaks out after chemical tanker overturns on Karnataka highway

A massive fire broke out at Arbali Ghat on Ankola-Yellapur highway in Karnataka after a tanker carrying chemicals overturned on Wednesday morning. Traffic on this road was closed following the fire accident.

According to the officials, the incident took place at 7.30 am on the Ankola-Yellapur highway, when a tanker carrying benzene from a subsidiary company of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) to a paint firm in Gujarat met with an accident.

The District Administration said it is coordinating with MRPL and a team has been dispatched with neutralising agents. An alternative tanker to transfer the chemical is being mobilised from Karwar by the company’s transporter. Action as per the standard operating procedure for chemical spillage is being followed, said Manoj Ranjan, commissioner of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC)