Shocking new footage has shown the extent of the damage following a powerful chemical explosion caused by a van crashing into a truck on an already extremely dangerous road.
The head-on crash on the Bruce Highway in central Queensland killed the pickup truck driver and spilled ammonium nitrate, a volatile chemical, which triggered a fiery explosion and left a huge crater.
The driver of the B-double tanker, which was carrying 42 tonnes of the chemical used in industrial applications and as a fertiliser, is in a stable condition at Bundaberg Hospital with injuries to his abdomen, leg, pelvis, head and arm.
Police said 49 local residents had self-evacuated from the remote area and a 2.5-kilometre exclusion zone remained in place at Bororen, north of Miriam Vale, 475 kilometres north of Brisbane.
Capricornia District Acting Superintendent Mark Burgess said emergency services remained at the scene of the crash, which happened shortly after 5am on Friday.
“Shortly after 9.40am an explosion was heard and felt and there was a large cloud of smoke visible,” he said.
‘Emergency services were able to survey the scene using a drone which indicated several fires located along the railway corridor.’
He said the radius of the explosion was about 500 meters.
The head-on crash on the Bruce Highway in central Queensland left the pickup truck driver dead and ammonium nitrate spilled, triggering a fiery explosion and leaving a huge crater (pictured)
The two vehicles collided at Bororen (pictured) on the Bruce Highway shortly after 5am on Friday.
It is the third serious accident involving trucks on the Bruce Highway in the same region this week.
On Tuesday, a 29-year-old truck driver was killed in a five-truck pile-up in Gindoran that closed the highway for nearly 24 hours.
On Thursday, a man in his 20s was injured in a lorry rollover at Colosseum, near Miriam Vale, prompting politicians and road haulage industry bodies to call for major improvements and investment in the road.
Two ambulances that were sent to the scene also crashed.
While one person was killed and one seriously injured in Friday’s accident, no one was hurt and no personal property was damaged in the subsequent explosion, although some power lines were downed.
Queensland Fire and Rescue is conducting scientific testing, including an atmospheric assessment, and the area is not yet safe for residents to return to their homes.
Miriam Vale resident Lee Pennell said he heard the explosion.
“There was a huge explosion,” he said. alphabet‘I live 14 kilometres south of Miriam Vale and our house shook because of that explosion.’
The caravan parking area at Miriam Vale was starting to fill up and the local Rural Women’s Association had opened a hall in the town to help stranded travellers, she said.
Gladstone City Council is working with emergency services, the SES and the Department of State Transport and Main Roads to redirect traffic.
Road closures have been in place on the motorway at the northern end of Tannum Sands Road and the southern end of Blackmans Gap Road.
“Gladstone Regional Council will prepare the Miriam Vale Community Centre as a place of refuge if required,” the council said.
A Queensland Rail spokesman said its train service between Bororen and Iveragh was closed and buses would be used instead.
Queensland Ambulance Service acting operations supervisor John Hodson-Gilmore said the road was likely to remain closed for an extended period due to damage caused by the blast.
“Queensland Fire Services, guided by aerial imagery from Queensland Police, decided not to approach the scene,” Hodson-Gilmore said in a statement.
Shocking new footage has shown the extent of the damage (pictured) caused after a massive chemical explosion was caused by a van colliding with a truck on an extremely dangerous road.
The ammonium nitrate explosion produced a huge plume of smoke (pictured)
Residents within a 2.5-kilometre exclusion zone around the crash site (pictured) were told to leave.
“About 15 minutes later… the smaller tanker truck filled with product exploded… There is a lot of debris along the road.”
Queensland Premier Steven Miles has denied claims that funding for the highway has stalled.
“We have $6 billion allocated to projects in Bruce right now, I don’t think you can say that’s stagnant,” he said.
“Some industry commentators would say that’s more than our construction industry can currently sustain, which is why we’re investing heavily.”