The Fire Services of the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM) and the Breede Valley Municipality (BVM) has been hard at work this morning to clean up an acid spill after a tanker overtuned on the N1 between De Doorns and Touws River last night (Thursday 17 November).
“We can confirm that good progress was made by crews during the night in containing the nitric acid spill caused by the overturned tanker. The N1 between Touwsriver and De Doorns will however remain closed until further notice,” spokesperson for CWDM, Jo-Anne Otto, said.
It is still unsure what caused the incident, but an investigation into the matter is ongoing. It seems as if the tanker overtuned in the Hex River Pass, causing the hazardous material to leak.
“Teams will continue with salvage and clean-up operations, which are likely to take most of the day. The gas is currently being pumped from the overturned tanker into a fresh tanker to be removed from the scene so that operations can continue.”
No loss of life or injuries were reported. Currently the Fire Services are on the scene. They are joined by Spilltech, a company renowned for handling hazardous materials.
