Tanker carrying toxic chemical thionyl chloride overturns on NICE road

By N Narasimha Murthy

A tanker carrying 10,000 litres of thionyl chloride, a toxic chemical, from Bhopal to Cuddalore, overturned on NICE road on Tuesday.

Pungent fumes from the spill spread to an 800-metre radius of the accident site. A team from the National Disaster Response Force ( NDRF) used loads of earth to contain its effect.

“A good quantity of the chemical had spilled.Inhaling it in large amounts is life-threatening.We got traffic blocked on both sides,“ said Santosh Kumar, commander of the NDRF team. Traffic piled up for 10 km until the operation was completed on Wednesday afternoon.

The pungent smell could remain in the surround ings for a couple of days, authorities said. Police said the driver of the tanker was under the influence of alcohol when it capsized.