Hydrochloric acid leaks from trucks – A3 near Cologne is completely closed
An accident on the A3 put commuters near Cologne to the test in the morning: hydrochloric acid leaked from a truck. The freeway is closed in both directions.
Hydrochloric acid leaking from a truck leads to hours-long closures on Autobahn 3 near Cologne. The truck loaded with 24 tons of hydrochloric acid had a leaky weld where the highly caustic chemical had escaped and evaporated, the fire department said on Friday morning. The truck is at a service area near Rösrath.
As the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” reports, the motorway was initially blocked in both directions. The tracks in the direction of Cologne were then released again overnight. In the morning, however, the A3 was completely closed again: the closure is expected to last until 1 p.m., reports WDR.
Leaked hydrochloric acid on A3: rest area is evacuated
According to the “Stadt-Anzeiger”, all of the surrounding trucks in the rest area were evacuated. The people from the service area were also brought to safety. For the fire brigade, the “highest alert level” applies. The emergency services are on site in large numbers, and a decontamination area has been set up on the grounds of the rest area.
It was said that the leak could not be sealed. Therefore, the truck’s entire load was pumped into a tanker. However, the hydrochloric acid would have to be transported away for disposal from time to time, since the entire 24 tons do not fit in the tank room. The fire brigade also built a barrier so that the acid did not get into the ground. Around 115 emergency services were deployed because of the leak.
In the morning, the WDR reported four kilometers of traffic jams in both directions on the autobahn – but congestion is also to be expected on the adjacent country roads, according to the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”.