At least one person has been killed after a petrol tanker collided with several cars on the Calder Freeway outbound, near the Western Ring Road entrance at Keilor East about 8.05am.
It’s believed the truck, carrying 600 litres of diesel and 20,000 litres of unleaded petrol, was in the centre lane on the freeway when a car has pulled in front of it, causing the truck to swerve and the driver to lose control of the vehicle, police say.
The truck has then struck a number of other cars, with one remaining crushed underneath.
Investigators are still attempting to find out how many people are in the car, but at least one person, believed to be a 49-year-old man from Ascot Vale, has been confirmed dead.
Police will not be able to cut into the crushed car until a “significant amount of fuel” has been cleared from the road by MFB crews.
The scene is not expected to be cleared until at least 3pm.
MFB spokesman Bruce Weaver said: “We’ve got a leak in the unleaded petrol. We’ve got a quantity of fuel that’s leaked in the surrounding area.”
An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said six people have so far been taken to hospital.
Injuries
A man who was driving the truck has leg injuries and was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a stable condition.
A woman in her 40s was taken Sunshine Hospital with neck and hand injuries along with a woman in her 20s suffering neck and facial injuries.
A teenage boy has also been taken to Sunshine Hospital as a precaution with no obvious injuries.
Another woman, in her 60s, was Footscray Hospital Footscray with a wrist injury.
Two other people were assessed at the scene but were not taken to hospital.
Staff and students at a nearby school were evacuated to their school’s gym because of concerns about the chemicals in the truck.
Traffic delays are impacting the Tullarmarine Freeway and Western Ring Road and there is heavy traffic on other roads throughout the Keilor area.
Motorists are encouraged to avoid the area with roads expected to be affected.
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