Diesel tanker overturns in Germiston, people seen taking fuel

A diesel tanker overturned during a crash on Friday morning in Wadeville, Germiston, with community members seen taking fuel from the tanker soon aftwerwards.

The City of Ekurhuleni advised motorists to avoid the intersection of Dekema and Osborn roads as the roadway was completely closed. Motorists were urged to use alternative routes.

Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services spokesperson, William Ntladi, confirmed emergency services were at the scene and managed to contain the leaking.

Ntladi said the diesel tanker was carrying 30 000 litres at the time of the crash.

“We received a call around 8am about a tanker that had jackknifed. We responded from the Wadeville fire station, which is about a kilometre away from the incident.

“Apparently the driver was turning from Osborn into Dekema going to Alberton. The tanker had about 30 000 litres of diesel in a 40 000 tank capacity trailer,” Ntladi told Newzroom Afrika at the scene of the incident.

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He said when emergency services arrived they found community members siphoning off the fuel.

“We had a lot of spillages that happened and we had a challenge in terms of members of the public who came here to get some diesel for themselves in containers.

“We had to push them away from the incident, remembering what happened a couple of days ago in Boksburg and we managed to bring the situation under control.”

Ntladi added the driver of the truck escaped with no injuries and investigations into the crash are underway.

The incident comes almost two weeks after the tragic Boksburg gas tanker explosion on Christmas Eve that claimed the lives of 37 people.

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