Traffic was restored on the Kekava bypass road on Monday morning after the accident on Sunday involving nine vehicles, LETA reports citing the State Joint Stock Company "Latvijas Valsts ceļi".
On Sunday evening, responsible services continued to eliminate the consequences of the accident on the Kekava bypass road, the State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) reported to the LETA agency. Nine vehicles were involved in the road traffic accident — two trucks and seven passenger cars.
As reported, on Sunday morning, at the 18th kilometer of the Bauska highway (A7), that is, on the section of the Kekava bypass road between Katlakalns and the Riga bypass road, closer to the Riga bypass, several cars collided, resulting in a truck with a gas tank rolling off the road embankment and overturning. Gas leaked from the tank.
To coordinate the response to the accident and to attract the necessary resources, an operational headquarters was established at the scene with representatives from the SFRS, the Emergency Medical Service (EMS), the State Police, LLC "Latvijas propāna gāze", JSC "Sadales tīkls", the Road Traffic Safety Directorate, the State Joint Stock Company "Latvijas autoceļu uzturētājs", municipal police, as well as the truck driver. The National Armed Forces were also involved. The participation of the State Environmental Service in the aftermath of the accident was not required.
As observed by the LETA agency, access to the accident site was restricted. Police on duty on the roads stated that approaching the overturned vehicle was unsafe.
The EMS reported to the LETA agency that medics provided assistance to 16 people at the scene, six of whom were hospitalized.
Witnesses reported that during the accident on this section of the road, traffic was hindered by thick fog and bright sunlight.
The State Joint Stock Company "Latvijas Valsts ceļi" warned on Sunday after the incident that restoring traffic would likely take a relatively long time.
The accident site could be bypassed via Kekava or other roads.
