MORADABAD, Uttar Pradesh — Traffic on the busy Delhi-Lucknow Highway came to a sudden halt after a large tanker carrying cooking ghee overturned, spilling thousands of liters of the golden liquid across the roadway and creating dangerously slick conditions.
The incident caused significant traffic gridlock as police and emergency crews rushed to secure the area and initiate a massive cleanup effort.
The accident occurred when the driver of the heavy commercial tanker reportedly lost control while negotiating a stretch of the highway near Moradabad. The vehicle tipped onto its side, rupturing its primary storage compartment and pouring tons of liquid ghee across multiple traffic lanes.
Within minutes, the spilled oil covered the asphalt, transforming the busy highway corridor into a hazardous, slippery surface for oncoming vehicles.
As word of the spill spread, dozens of local residents and passersby rushed to the scene with buckets, jugs, and containers to collect the spilled product. Local police arrived shortly after to disperse the crowds and cordon off the affected section of the highway to prevent further accidents.
Traffic was diverted to secondary routes as multi-kilometer tailbacks quickly formed on both sides of the highway.
Highway emergency teams deployed sand and heavy equipment to absorb the oil layer and restore traction to the road surface. Fire crews were also dispatched to spray down the remaining residue before reopening the lanes to regular traffic.
Local authorities confirmed that the driver sustained minor injuries and was treated at a nearby hospital. An investigation is currently underway to determine whether mechanical failure or driver fatigue contributed to the rollover.
Transport officials noted that full highway operations resumed late in the evening after hazardous material teams applied specialized degreasing agents to completely eliminate the oil film from the tarmac. Authorities issued a public reminder emphasizing the safety risks associated with rushing toward accident scenes, warning that crowding around overturned commercial tankers poses severe traffic hazards and complicates emergency response operations.
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