(Photo: Michael McInally)
March 27, 2015
UPDATE 10:45pm: The 500m exclusion zone around the crash site was revoked at 10:15pm however the highway remains closed while the damage to the road surface is assessed. Traffic is being diverted down Esk-Kilcoy Road.
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UPDATE 8:25pm: The D’Aguilar Highway is still blocked in both directions near Kilcoy and will remain so for several hours. The process of emptying the tanker is complete but the truck still has to be righted and repairs made to the road.
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UPDATE 6:00pm: The D’Aguilar Highway is expected to be closed for at least another five hours following this morning’s fatal collision involving a petrol tanker. The remaining fuel is currently being decanted from the tanker.
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Earlier today:
One man is dead – and a 39-year-old man has been taken to hospital with minor injuries – after a fuel tanker and a mini-van collided on the D’Aguilar Highway this morning.
The highway has been blocked at Woolmar, near the entrance to Kilcoy Racecourse, about 2km west of Kilcoy.
Police were called to the incident at 10:38am.
The tanker tipped on its side and leaked fuel across the roadway.
Two fire crews were quickly on the scene, spreading foam and sand to control the leak.
An Emergency Services spokesperson said there was no fire but more fire crews were called in to help control the incident.
A Queensland Ambulance spokesperson said there had been one fatality. southburnett.com.au has confirmed that this is the male driver of the mini-van. He is believed to be from the Brisbane area. Ambulance crews were called at 10.42am.
There were also reports that an emergency helicopter landed on the highway.
An ambulance responding to the tanker crash was involved in a rollover at D’Aguilar. The personnel on board escaped injury.
Kilcoy Race Club was forced to abandon today’s meeting because no floats or trucks could enter the course.
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Police declared an emergent situation under the Public Safety Preservation Act following the fatal traffic crash.
An exclusion zone of 500m was declared around the crash site due to the fuel spill.
Police have been asking motorists to avoid the area if possible as the highway is expected to be closed for hours.
Attempts began about 4:15pm to drain the remaining fuel from the tanker.
Firefighters placed bunding around the area to stop any spilled fuel from reaching waterways.
[Previously published as “Tanker Leaking Fuel On Highway”]
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Twitter photos by Darren Curtis (Channel 9)
Fuel continues to leak from a tanker overturned near Kilcoy after a fatal collision with a van #9News pic.twitter.com/mzdutRWYNK
— Darren Curtis (@DarrenCurtis9) March 27, 2015
A truck carrying 33,000 litres of fuel has rolled & leaking after colliding with a van at Kilcoy.Video #9News pic.twitter.com/SAzKoPqpX0
— Darren Curtis (@DarrenCurtis9) March 27, 2015
