2024 Bruce Highway explosion
On the 30th of August 2024, a truck carrying 42.5 tonnes of ammonium nitrate crashed and rolled over before exploding near Bororen, Queensland.
Incident
[edit]At approximately 5:00 am AEST, a truck carrying 42.5 tonnes of ammonium nitrate crashed head-on with a utility vehicle and rolled over near Bororen, Queensland approximately 400 kilometers north of Brisbane, killing the driver of the utility vehicle and seriously injuring the truck driver.[1][2] The cause of the crash is under investigation.[3]
The truck was carrying 42.5 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that is also highly explosive.[4] It rolled over and caught fire shortly after the crash. The driver was pulled from the truck by bystanders following the crash. The crash caused the tanker to leak ammonium nitrate onto the Bruce Highway, a major highway in Queensland.[5] First responders noted that the leaked chemicals were on fire[5] and ordered an evacuation of every person in a 2.5 kilometer radius of the crash.[3] First responders made the decision to not extinguish the fire because of the inherit risk.[5]
The ammonium nitrate exploded at 9:40 am AEST causing a shockwave that was felt as far as Gladstone, roughly 55 kilometers away from the explosion site.[5] A mushroom cloud rose into the sky and the explosion threw debris up to 50 meters onto the other side of the highway.[1]
There was no casualties from the explosion however there was minor damage to powerlines in the area, as well as some spot fires.[5] The truck driver was airlifted to hospital and the driver of the utility vehicle remains the only casualty.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Strohfeldt, Catherine (2024-08-30). "Driver dies after trailer of chemicals explodes in Bruce Highway crash". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ "Bruce Highway south of Gladstone to remain closed after truck explosion". ABC News. 2024-08-31. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ a b Media, Q. P. S. (2024-08-30). "Fatal traffic crash, Bororen". Queensland Police News. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Press, Australian Associated (2024-08-30). "One driver dead, another in hospital after explosive crash on Bruce Highway in Queensland". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ a b c d e "One dead as chemical truck crash causes massive explosion". 7NEWS. 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-31.