Ayer Hitam Toll Plaza Fully Reopened - PLUS

BATU PAHAT, June 26 (Bernama) -- The entry and exit lanes of the Ayer Hitam Toll Plaza near here have been fully reopened after a temporary closure following an incident involving a drum containing hazardous and corrosive chemicals that fell off a trailer yesterday evening.

PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS), in a post on its PLUS Malaysia Facebook page, said that the route has been reopened and accessible to all vehicles from 2.44 am today.

“The latest update is that the incident has been resolved, and all lanes have reopened. The entry lane to Ayer Hitam Toll Plaza is now open. Traffic is under control. Please be informed,” it said in the post.

Earlier, PLUS had informed via Facebook that the route was temporarily closed by the Fire and Rescue Department for safety reasons after the incident was reported at 6.41 pm.

Checks conducted by Bernama at the location at 9 am found that traffic at the Ayer Hitam Toll Plaza was smooth and operating as normal.

Meanwhile, Ayer Hitam Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) Senior Operations Commander, PPgB Muhammad Syakir Jamal, said the incident involved a 40-tonne container lorry transporting Urea Formaldehyde.

According to him, as the vehicle was negotiating a bend in front of the Ayer Hitam Toll Plaza, three of the drums fell onto the road, and one of them, with a 1,000-litre capacity, ruptured and spilled its contents.

“Initial action taken was to cover the chemical spill with soil while awaiting the arrival of the Hazmat team from BBP Larkin.

“Detection work by the Hazmat team was then carried out using a pH meter, pH paper, GFG and Gasmet devices, and the spill was contained with soil to prevent it from spreading, with the chemical then transferred to a safe location,” he said.

He added that around 2 am, the container owner carried out the removal of the materials, and the Hazmat team handed the case over to the Department of Environment (DOE) for further action.

-- BERNAMA