PRAYAGRAJ, July 16 -- A major accident was averted after a tanker carrying ethanol developed a leak on the national highway in Basupur under Handia police station limits in the early hours of Wednesday. Around 4,000 litres of ethanol spilled onto the road, but no one was injured. The tanker, carrying about 40,000 litres of ethanol from Mirzapur to Prayagraj, was travelling through Basupur at around 2 am when one of its tyres burst. The impact caused the mudguard to puncture one of the tanker's six compartments, leading to a rapid leak. The driver, Arun Kumar Gupta, immediately moved the vehicle to the roadside to reduce the risk. He said the damaged compartment had a capacity of about 7,000 litres. The driver the fire brigade and the National Highway helpline (1033). As ethanol is highly flammable, firefighters continuously sprayed water on the tanker and the surrounding area to prevent ignition. Police also barricaded the site, regulated traffic and kept people away until the situation was brought under control. Traffic remained disrupted for some time. Gupta alleged that although he informed the National Highway helpline immediately, no team from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) reached the site for nearly seven hours. He claimed earlier technical assistance could have reduced the loss. Fire brigade in-charge Rajesh Kumar Singh said about 4,000 litres of ethanol had leaked. He added that all safety protocols were followed and emergency teams remained at the site until the area was declared safe....