Tanker lorry carrying tar catches fire near Arakkonam

The 30-year-old driver of a tanker truck carrying bitumen tar was uninjured when the vehicle caught fire near the city of Arakkonam on Wednesday.

Police said workers were welding to connect a pipeline between the tanker truck and a tank to transfer liquid tar. A spark sparked a fire and the driver, Santhosh, a native of Manali in Chennai, jumped out of the vehicle to escape the fire. The tar plant staff alerted fire and rescue services officials in Arakkonam, who rushed to the scene and extinguished the flames. The incident occurred around 07.45.

Fire crews worked for more than an hour to bring the flames under control. However, the interior of the tanker became completely unusable. A case has been registered by Arakkonam Taluk police and further investigation into the incident is on.