Acid leak cause massive traffic jam along Guthrie highway

Morning traffic came to a standstill when nitric acid gas cylinder started leaking from a truck, resulting in a massive traffic jam along the Guthrie highway near Section U8, this morning.

Since nitric acid is hazardous, the HazMat unit of the Fire and Rescue Department was deployed to the location, 1.1km of the Guthrie highway.

Traffic along the highway, heading to Shah Alam, came to a standstill for about 5km as firemen and HazMat personnel closed one section of the highway to divert traffic toward Bukit Jelutong to enable cleaning work to be carried out.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director Mohd Sani Harul said the lorry was carrying 6,000kg of sulfuric acid and 3,000kg of nitric acid from a factory in Rawang when a gas cylinder with 1,000kg nitric acid started leaking.

"We are using soda ash to absorb the acid and water curtain to prevent fumes from spreading. There has been no casualties or injuries thus far," he said when contacted by Bernama.

He said the department received a call at 7.25am and 11 members of the HazMat unit and eight firefighters from the Kota Anggerik Fire and Rescue Department were deployed to the scene.