18/07/2007

Gas tanker crash driver dies

The driver of a gas tanker which crashed in Co. Durham on Wednesday has died in hospital.

An exclusion zone has been set up in Wolsingham in County Durham after the tanker left the road and landed on a railway line.

According to reports, the tanker came off the road and struck a bridge over the Weardale Railway before plunging onto the track.

An air ambulance took the driver to Newcastle General Hospital, where he underwent surgery. He was described as being in a critical condition, but he died on Wednesday afternoon.

Flammable gas is reported to be leaking from the tanker and nearby homes and a caravan park have been evacuated.

Police and fire crews are attending the scene of the crash and the A689 has been closed. Diversions are currently in place.

(KMcA)

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