AN OIL TANKER jack-knifed on the AP-7 in the Catral area on Saturday morning, causing the Elche-bound carriageway to be closed for ten hours, as some of the cargo poured onto the road and into an adjoining field.
Over 50 firefighters from five stations across the Vega Baja were involved in the clean-up operation, after half of the 27 thousand litres of diesel seeped out.
The incident happened at 7.00 am, and the highway was not reopened to north-bound traffic until 5.00 pm, with the other carriageway also shut for a time to give fire crews easier access to the tanker.
Firefighters and a forestry team from Tibi also eliminated the danger of a fire breaking out in surrounding farm land which was used for crops like artichokes.
The tanker driver was unharmed.
