THANE: A chemical container toppled over, spilling thousands of litres of concentrated hydrochloric acid , resulting in panic and four-hour traffic jam on Ghodbunder Road late on Friday. No one was injured but rescue officials said humans coming in contact with the chemical could suffer severe burn injuries.The driver, Anil Kumar Gupta, was heading from Tarapur towards Nhava Sheva port and was trying to negotiate a sharp curve near Gaimukh. He suffered head injuries and was taken to a local hospital by passers-by.The tank ruptured and its contents flowed onto the road, leading to the entire stretch being enveloped in dense fumes, alarming residents and motorists. Traffic police and municipal rescue officials immediately barricaded the stretch."Traffic on the lane from Borivli to Thane was stalled for nearly four hours as officials neutralized the acid. Initially, we had no idea of the tanker's contents, so as a precautionary measure we diverted vehicles," said a police official.Santosh Kadam of Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC), Thane, said teams used water and sand to dilute it. "The acid is used for cleaning sanitaryware. It could have caused burn injuries to anyone coming in contact with it," he said.Activists once again raised the issue of potential dangers to residential enclaves along Ghodbunder considering frequent accidents involving chemical-laden tankers. A few months back, a gas tanker met with an accident, after which the authorities cordoned off the area.A similar smash-up involving a chemical powder had led to dense fumes on G B Road and Eastern Express Highway last year

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