An unusual traffic accident occurred on Sunday in Narragansett, Rhode Island, in the U.S., when a semi-truck overturned and spilled more than 20 metric tons of squid onto the road, causing traffic chaos as well as… a particularly strong odor in the area.
According to the Rhode Island State Police, the truck overturned around 9:30 a.m. as the driver was attempting to make a turn. During the maneuver, the trailer detached from the tractor cab and fell onto its side, blocking all lanes of traffic on Pt. Judith Road.
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The truck was carrying a full load of squid to a processing plant outside the area. After the rollover, much of the cargo spilled onto the road, turning the street into an unusual scene filled with… tentacles.
“At the time of the incident, the fully loaded trailer was transporting squid to a processing facility outside the city. A significant portion of the squid spilled onto the road,” the police said in a statement.
The spill caused significant traffic problems and led to a lengthy closure of the intersection. Crews took nearly the entire day to remove the cargo and clear the road, which remained closed until 5:15 p.m.
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The heat made the situation… unbearable
The problem was not only the removal of dozens of metric tons of squid, but also the strong odor that spread throughout the area, as the cargo remained exposed to the sun for hours. Richard Stevens, a Naragansett resident and local fisherman, speaking to WJAR, explained that the smell of squid is distinctive and hard to ignore.
“Squid has a distinct smell. It can get really bad, especially when it falls onto the street and stays there for quite a while,” he noted.
As temperatures rose above 27 degrees Celsius, the squid’s prolonged exposure to the asphalt made the odor even more intense, creating a difficult cleanup operation for the crews.
Naragansett Police Chief Ryan Prest confirmed that neither the driver nor the passenger in the truck was injured, noting, however, that “the area began to smell bad as the squid had been left in the sun for several hours.”
The driver was eventually issued a citation by the Rhode Island State Police for failing to secure the cargo properly. Despite the unusual sight and the inconvenience it caused, the incident resulted in no injuries, leaving behind only an… unforgettable smell and a story that local residents are unlikely to forget.
SOURCE: Proto Thema
