A catastrophic accident was narrowly averted when a tanker truck carrying a whopping 30,000 liters of fuel failed to come to a halt, colliding with the rear of another vehicle and subsequently igniting into flames.
The dramatic incident occurred at the intersection of Pak Thong Chai Mittraphap Road and the Nakhon Ratchasima bypass in Nai Mueang Subdistrict, Mueang District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand. Upon reaching the scene, authorities were confronted with a 22-wheeler tanker truck from Ubon Ratchathani, which was carrying a combination of diesel fuel and gasoline. The intense fire had engulfed the top of the damaged vehicle, rapidly spreading towards the fuel tank.
In response to the imminent danger, the police officers from Pho Klang Police Station and the Hook 31 Rescue Unit swiftly closed all outbound traffic towards Khon Kaen Province. They also coordinated with nearby fire trucks to effectively extinguish the flames, successfully bringing the fire under control after an arduous 40-minute effort.
In close proximity, a truck with 18 wheels, carrying a load of rice, was discovered parked on the roadside, clearly showing signs of being rear-ended. Regrettably, this collision resulted in injuries to the 43-year-old driver of the oil truck. He was promptly transported to Bangkok Ratchasima Hospital for immediate medical attention. As a consequence of this incident, there was extensive traffic congestion spanning over 5 kilometers in the surrounding area.
Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the driver responsible for delivering the cargo from an oil depot in Saraburi Province, was on his way to a customer in Khon Kaen Province. While crossing a level bridge, he encountered a slow-moving rice truck directly ahead. Due to the inability to bring the fully loaded tanker to a stop in time, a forceful collision occurred, resulting in this unfortunate incident. Fortunately, the fuel tank managed to avoid exploding, thus preventing widespread damage.
