Acid tanker overturns in Kothagudem, one death

An acid tanker driver who was trapped in the cabin after the vehicle overturned and fell in a roadside gorge in Mulkalapally mandal, Kothagudem.

The accident occurred when the tanker lorry carrying hydrochloric acid from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh to Raipur in Chhattisgarh lost control near a bridge on Pamaleru stream during wee hours on Thursday.

As the heavily loaded tanker fell into the gorge its cabin was



completely crushed, trapping the driver inside. Acid leaked out as the tanker was ruptured, filling the area with fumes. The leaking acid and the severely damaged cabin made it difficult for police and firefighters to extract the driver.

It took nearly eight hours to pull the driver out, but he had already succumbed to his injuries. The police shifted the body to the mortuary at the local government hospital and have launched an investigation.