A tanker carrying aviation fuel hit an electric post, and went past the median to the other side of the road before crashing into the compound wall of a lodge opposite the domestic terminal of the airport here in the early hours of Sunday.
The driver of the tanker, on its way from Indian Oil Corporation refinery in Kochi to supply oil to the airport, apparently lost control of the vehicle, which hit the electric lamp and uprooted it.
The vehicle came to a halt after hitting the compound wall of the lodge. The driver sustained injuries and was admitted to a private hospital.
The Valiathura police said a major disaster could have occurred had the tanker caught fire or a vehicle was coming on the opposite road. The fuel was stored in five separate chambers and one of them sustained a minor leak. The leaked chamber was immediately emptied by airport authorities, the police said. Vehicle movement along the road was hit in the morning as it took several hours for the traffic police to tow the tanker to an nearby place.
