It's a very bad Friday - hot and an accident in tunnel

from w
It's a blustery north wind, 35 degrees, with a dust-storm west of Geelong and now on the news there has been a very bad accident in the Burnley tunnel in Melbourne.

Apparently a truck had a blow-out, the driver stopped to phone, and other trucks and cars collided. There were explosions and then all the traffic had to stop. Emergency messages informed people to evacuate their cars, leave keys behind, and go to the nearest exits. It must have been panic for many people with children, or disabled. Anyway the people are still waiting at the exits to recover their cars. The emergency services were there quickly, the sprinklers went on and the black smoke was sucked out.

All traffic from the West Gate Bridge, the tunnels and as far as Warragul Road has been halted, so it's a hard day for lots of people there. Three people have died, according to the ABC radio. Tonight the Avalon Air show is open to the public but I think many people in Melbourne will just not come.

We go through this tunnel sometimes, and the last time we did so was on our way to Bairnsdale and on to Bateman's Bay. I dislike anything claustrophobic and imagine things going wrong inside a long tunnel. Fortunately the emergency services in Melbourne were excellent in helping people after the dreadful accident today.