An oil tanker belonging to the Kurumbukari Group (KBK Limited) overturned in the early hours of Friday morning around 1am – 2am along the highway not far out from Madang Town.
The tanker is a part of the fleet of oil tankers that the Kurumbukari group had launched in November 30th 2016.
The Kurumbukari group limited is an umbrella company of the Ramu NiCo Landowners Association in the Madang Province.
Villagers who witnessed the accident said they saw the truck zigzagging down the road seconds before it ran off the road at Bahorr, along the 4mile market to the Gogol Bridge area on the Ramu/Madang Highway.
The driver according to local sources was suspected to have been drunk while driving, was rescued by the local boys and is said to have sustained minor injuries to his teeth and right arm. The driver later fled the scene of the accident.
Security Personnel from the Raibus Security Company were the first responders on site and called for back-up as they stood guard at the accident scene. The tanker was finally removed and towed back to their main office in Madang.
Meanwhile, this is the second road accident in this area of the Madang/Ramu Highway this year.
Four months ago a PMV bus had collided with a truck along the same highway which lead to the death of one male passenger and several other passengers sustaining severe injuries.