A gas tanker coming from India overturned on the East-West highway on Tuesday morning, blocking traffic for 24 hours. Authorities finally cleared the road and reopened it by 7:30am on Wednesday, the traffic police office in Rautahat said.

The tanker, carrying LPG from Raxaul to Mahendranagar in Dhanusha, overturned around 7:30am near ward 4 of Chandrapur. Its 21-ton load began leaking, creating a serious fire risk.

Six cranes were called to lift the tanker, but repeated attempts failed. Gas company technicians worked overnight. Experts advised emptying the gas first to make lifting possible.

The nearby high-tension transmission line raised additional fire concerns. The local administration contacted the Ministry of Energy, which said the national transmission line could not be shut down.

Then, gas was safely piped towards the southern part and released. About 80 percent of the gas was removed before the tanker was lifted around midnight. The engine got separated from the tank during the course, according to District Traffic Police Inspector Rajendra Thapa Magar.

“The road could not be cleared earlier because we did not have a strong enough crane. That is why it took 24 hours,” he said. The tanker driver, 35-year-old Pawan Yadav from Kadora, Jaynagar, India, was injured.

Traffic was stopped in both directions, stranding thousands of passengers. Many vehicles had to take inner routes. Deputy Superintendent of Police Rupa Labung of Chandranigahpur Police said the main challenge was the fire risk from leaking gas, and technical staff advised emptying the tanker first, causing the delay.