N2 in Durban still closed after fiery crash

Published Aug 4, 2015

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Durban - The N2 in Durban remains closed after an early morning collision between two diesel tankers that resulted in a massive fire.

Authorities were confident, however, that the south-bound carriageway would open before the city’s evening rush hour commenced.

eThekwini Metro Police spokesman Superintendent Eugene Msomi said that indications were that there was not too much damage and that he expected the south-bound lanes to open soon.

However, he expected the north-bound lanes to remain closed for some time.

Residents in Bellair and Hillary, suburbs that straddle either side of the N2 motorway, were awakened to loud bangs, a huge plume of black smoke and massive flames in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

“The two tankers collided. We are not sure what happened because we still have to interview the drivers, but both tankers are just a piece of metal,” said Msomi.

Both drivers escaped the blaze with minor injuries according to Robert McKenzie, spokesman of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial Emergency Medical Service.

The blaze was put out by the eThekwini Metro Fire Brigade.

Msomi said that there was still about 6 000 litres of diesel in one of the tankers that had not gone up in flames.

He said that authorities were arranging for this to be transferred to another tanker.

He could give no indications as to when the north-bound lanes would be expected to open.

Morning rush hour traffic was severely affected as motorists, especially from the city’s southern suburbs had to find alternative routes to work.

Msomi said the Sarnia Road bridge itself was also closed and at midday on Tuesday remained closed. Commuters from Queensburgh into the city and southern industrial areas were also forced to find alternative routes.

Metrorail spokesman Danny Hattingh said that the commuter rail services between Durban and Pinetown were temporarily disrupted as smoke impaired the vision of the drivers. Two trains were slightly delayed.

He said that engineers for Prasa, which operates Metrorail, had inspected the rail bridge next to the Sarnia Road Bridge and had declared it safe.

eThekwini Metro Municipal spokeswoman Gugu Mbonambi said the municipality would issue a statement later in the day.

The two fuel tankers crashed at about 4am, spilling burning fuel across the northbound and southbound carriageways.

A fireball could be seen for several kilometres and, according to people in nearby suburbs, the impact of the collision sounded like a bomb.

Craig Durrheim, who lives close to the accident scene, said his wife heard the explosion and had assumed it was at the cement works.

“It was only when we saw the huge flames that we realised that it was a fire on the freeway.”

He said the flames were licking the bottom of the Sarnia Road pedestrian bridge which crossed the highway.

After the initial explosion there were several smaller blasts – presumably tyres bursting, he said.

There was a cloud of black smoke, “that looked like the mushroom cloud at Hiroshima”, he said.

Two other women, who live in houses overlooking the freeway, said their homes vibrated with the explosion, which woke them up.

“I looked out of the window and saw flames all over the road,” one said. “Soon after the sirens started as the emergency services raced to the scene.”

Netcare 911 spokesman, Chris Botha, said one of the drivers explained that one truck was parked in the breakdown lane when the second truck rear-ended it.

“The driver then veered across the road and collided with the Armco barriers between the north- and south-bound lanes.”

He said the fire department, ambulance services, police and traffic police arrived and found both trucks on fire with fuel spreading the fire down the road.

“Fortunately, both drivers escaped from the trucks.”

ANA and Daily News

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