A trailer truck, carrying a transformer from Andhra Pradesh to a shed in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu for repair, got stuck under Maduravoyal flyover on the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway on Wednesday. The transformer also caught fire during the rescue operations and fire tenders were rushed to put out the fire.
The incident resulted in traffic snarls for more than five hours.
On Wednesday, around 8 am, a truck from Andhra Pradesh was transporting a faulty transformer to a private shed in Sriperumbudur for repair. The truck driver while crossing Maduravoyal flyover failed to calculate the height of the flyover and entered into the grade separator due to which the transformer got stuck under the bridge.
Following the incident, 10 National Highways Authority of India employees and traffic police rushed to rescue the truck stuck under the bridge. The workers initially tried to rescue the truck by releasing air from the tyres. However, the attempt failed as the transformer continued to remain stuck under the bridge. Hence, the officials decided to cut the transformer using a gas cutter to ensure smooth movement of the truck.
According to reports, while the officials attempted to cut the transformer, the top portion of the truck caught fire due to friction generated by heat from the cutter.
Fire tenders were immediately rushed to the spot from Koyambedu, Ambattur and Valasaravakkam. The fire was put out with efforts of the firefighters.
Traffic was diverted to other routes and commuters were restricted from using the Maduravoyal flyover. The vehicle was removed around 1 pm and was released after inspection.
The reason for the incident is said to be the lack of NHAI permit to take up the journey from Andhra Pradesh. The driver was detained and cases will be registered following a complaint from the National Highways Authority of India. The traffic flow was resumed after five hours.