UPDATE: Petrol, diesel tanker crash fire closes N2 [VIDEO]
There appears to have been at least some structural damage to the overhead Sarnia Road bridge
IT is unclear how long the N2 will be closed below the Sarnia Road overhead bridge following a massive blaze that resulted when a petrol and a diesel tanker crashed before dawn this morning.
There appears to have been at least some structural damage to the overhead Sarnia Road bridge, as flames spanning tens of metres in height flicked the undercarriage of the bridge, causing pieces of concrete to collapse under the heat.
The Sarnia Road overhead bridge is on a section of the N2 near the NPC cement factory, which lies just before the M7 Edwin Swales Drive junction.
According to Robert McKenzie, of the KZN Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the blaze was brought under control at about 6am this morning, due to sterling work from the firefighters involved. The highway is still closed in both directions due to safety reasons, as the integrity of the road and overhead bridge needs to be checked.
Traffic is still diverted from the southbound lane via the M7 and from the N2’s northbound lanes via the M1 and M4. This has resulted in traffic congestion in large areas south of Durban this morning. Motorists are asked to avoid gridlocking intersections by not entering an intersection unless they know they can get across before the robot changes.
Paramedics treated two men at the scene – believed to be the truck drivers – for minor injuries. After being examined by paramedics, they decided they did not wish to be taken to hospital.
“We would like to thank all the emergency services involved in the incident for their hard work and dedication,” said McKenzie.
A similar situation emerged when a fire broke out on the M4 bridge opposite the South Coast Road-based Huletts sugar factory in early June. Several lanes of that bridge were closed for months while structural engineers assessed its integrity for safety reasons.
This tweet from ENCA
RT @DasenThathiah: Durban fire department's Trevor Stevens says #N2 will remain closed indefinitely. #TankerCrash pic.twitter.com/Z44ROu7lT4
— eNCA (@eNCA) August 4, 2015
Video sent in by BBM contact:
