A shocking new image shows the extent of the damage after a massive chemical explosion was caused by a pickup truck crashing into a truck on an already dangerous highway.
The head-on collision on the Bruce Highway in central Queensland killed the driver of the van and released ammonium nitrate, a volatile chemical, which caused a fiery explosion and left a huge crater.
The driver of the B-double tanker, which was carrying 42 tonnes of chemicals used in industrial applications and as fertiliser, is in a stable condition in Bundaberg Hospital with injuries to his abdomen, legs, pelvis, head and arms.
Police said 49 residents have been evacuated from the remote area and a 2.5km exclusion zone remains in place at Bororen, north of Miriam Vale, 475km north of Brisbane.
Capricornia District Acting Chief Inspector Mark Burgess said emergency services were still at the scene following the crash, which happened just after 5am on Friday.
“Just after 9:40 a.m. an explosion was heard and felt and a large cloud of smoke was visible,” he said.
‘The emergency services were able to map the situation with a drone and saw that there were several fires along the railway line.’
He said the radius of the explosion was about 500 meters.
The head-on collision on the Bruce Highway in central Queensland killed the driver of the van and caused ammonium nitrate to leak, causing a fiery explosion and leaving a huge crater (pictured)
The two vehicles collided at around 5am on Friday near Bororen (pictured) on the Bruce Highway
It is the third serious truck accident this week on the Bruce Highway in the same region.
On Tuesday, a 29-year-old truck driver was killed in a pile-up involving five trucks near Gindoran, which closed the highway for almost 24 hours.
On Thursday, a man in his 20s was injured when a truck overturned at the Colosseum near Miriam Vale, prompting politicians and transport industry groups to call for major improvements and investment in the highway.
Two ambulances that were on the scene also crashed.
The crash on Friday left one dead and one seriously injured. The explosion later in the day left no one injured or property damaged, but some power lines were down.
Queensland Fire and Rescue is currently conducting scientific tests, including an atmospheric assessment. It is not yet safe for residents to return home.
Lee Pennell, a resident of Miriam Vale, said she heard the explosion.
“There was a huge explosion,” she told the ABC‘I live 14 kilometres south of Miriam Vale and our house was shaken by that explosion.’
The caravan park in Miriam Vale was starting to fill up and the local Country Women’s Association had opened a hall in town to help stranded travellers, she said.
Gladstone City Council is working with the emergency services, the SES and the Department of Transport and Main Roads to divert traffic.
There are road closures on the highway 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 refuge if required,” the council said.
A Queensland Rail spokesperson said the train service between Bororen and Iveragh has been suspended and buses are being used instead.
Queensland Ambulance Service acting operations supervisor John Hodson-Gilmore said the highway was likely to be closed for an extended period due to damage from the explosion.
“The Queensland Fire Service, based on aerial footage from Queensland Police, decided not to attend the scene,” Mr Hodson-Gilmore said in a statement.
A shocking new view has revealed the extent of the damage (pictured) left behind after a massive chemical explosion caused by a pickup truck crashing into a truck on an extremely dangerous highway
The ammonium nitrate explosion caused a huge plume of smoke (pictured)
Residents within a 2.5-kilometer exclusion zone of the crash site (pictured) were asked to leave
‘Approximately 15 minutes later … the smaller tanker truck full of the product had actually exploded … There is a significant amount of debris on the highway.’
Queensland Premier Steven Miles denied that funding for the highway had been halted.
“At this point we have $6 billion committed to projects on the Bruce, I don’t think we can consider that as idle,” he said.
“Some industry experts would say this is more than our construction sector can handle at the moment, so we are investing heavily.”