Oil tanker on fire veers into opposite lane of Elite Highway

NILAI: A tanker lorry carrying palm oil caught fire before losing control and veering into the opposite lane of the highway, resulting in a collision with three other vehicles at KM44.6 of the Northbound Elite Highway here Saturday.

District police chief Supt Abdul Malik Hasim, said preliminary investigations revealed that the incident occurred at around noon when the tanker, driven by a 53-year-old local man, lost control and crashed into the opposite lane.

He explained that the tanker, which was travelling from Jasin, Melaka, to Klang, Selangor, collided with a Proton Saga that overturned in the right lane, causing the car to spin and end up in the middle of the highway.

“Subsequently, the tanker struck the right-side road barrier, crossed into the opposite lane, and came to a halt in the emergency lane, while still ablaze.

“As a result of the initial collision between the Proton Saga and the tanker, debris was scattered across the highway, leading to another two vehicles, a Perodua Bezza and a Mazda CX-3, crashing into the debris,” he said in a statement on Saturday (Oct 12).

He added that the driver of the Proton Saga, a 21-year-old woman, sustained minor injuries and was taken to Tuanku Jaafar Hospital, Seremban, for treatment. No other injuries were reported.

The case is being investigated under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

Earlier Saturday, a 20-second video clip went viral on social media, showing the burning tanker veering into the opposite lane, leading to the involvement of three other vehicles in the incident. - Bernama