In a chaotic morning on the M1 Pacific Motorway near Ourimbah, New South Wales, a truck spilled an astonishing 750kg of metal fragments, leading to extensive damage to vehicles and major delays. The truck, which continued for 30 kilometers before the mishap was detected, resulted in over 300 cars suffering flat tyres as well as damage inflicted on emergency service vehicles.
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service confirmed that the spillage occurred around 5 a.m. and caused the closure of city-bound lanes for nearly 10 hours. The state police and Clean-Up teams employed magnets and specialized equipment to recover the embedded metal from the road, a challenging task, according to the highway patrol commander Howard Collins.
NJ Ashton, the trucking company responsible for the incident, issued an apology and confirmed cooperation with local authorities for the cleanup operations. "We are taking full responsibility for what's happened, and we are very sorry for any damage and disruption caused," they stated in their official remarks, adding that the exact cause of the spill is still under investigation.
State roads minister Jenny Aitchison described the event as "unprecedented," emphasizing the collaborative cleanup efforts between government resources and private entities. The M1 Pacific Motorway serves as a critical commuter and freight route, amplifying the impact of such disruptions on local traffic and transport.