Car driver died in accident on Mornington Peninsula on Thursday but tanker driver escaped serious injury

One hundred firefighters battled to put out a blaze after a tanker carrying LPG and petrol collided with a car on the Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, killing one person.

The accident happened at about 8.15pm on Thursday near Tyabb, Victoria Police said. A spokesman said a man travelling in a Mercedes sedan crossed onto the wrong side of the road and crashed into the tanker.

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The driver of the Mercedes was killed, but the tanker driver escaped serious injury.

Emergency services told the Nine Network there had been no breach of the tank’s contents. It’s believed the highway will be closed for much of Friday and possibly into the weekend.

Somerville Highway Patrol Sergeant Peter Martin told the ABC it will be a lengthy clean-up operation, but it could have been much worse.

“The diesel tanks of the petrol tanker, the propellant, they split open and the diesel spread up and down the road,” he said.

“The engine bay and the the rest of the chassis of the car caught fire. The entire truck was engulfed but, luckily, the tanks were designed to withstand it and they did withstand it.”

Tyabb local Bruce Thompson said he heard a series of explosions from his home, which is about 500m from the accident site.

“I heard a massive explosion and then five or six smaller explosions after that,” he said. “It really shook the house.”

Thompson said there had been smaller incidents on the highway but it was a good road.

Ambulance Victoria said a man was treated at the scene for minor injuries and was taken to Frankston hospital in a stable condition.