An unidentified Maltese truck driver risked provoking an environmental disaster on an Italian autostrada yesterday week when the container he was driving careened out of control and overturned on the road.

The container was carrying a toxic substance called calcium hypochlorite in granule form. This can ignite when it comes into contact with water or hydrocarbons. In fact, the accident ruptured a number of plastic boxes that contained the substance and for a time the police and fire fighters on the scene had to wear special protective gear.

The accident happened on Autostrada A7, from Milan to Genoa on one of the most critical days on the Italian roads – with millions of Italians and foreigners on their way to the seaside or going on vacation. In fact, the container was travelling in the same direction as the holidaymakers.

According to Italian figures, no less than seven million Italians were on the move that weekend. For this reason, containers and similar commercial vehicles are normally prohibited from travelling on such days, but the Maltese driver had permission to breach the rule.

He was on his way to Malta and had to embark on a ship in Genoa and could thus be given a derogation of four hours, which would have enabled him to travel to Genoa.

The accident took place at around 9am in the area known as Busalla. According to reports on the Italian media, the driver most probably mis-calculated the trajectory at a curve and, as a result, the container overturned.

Two hundred plastic containers filled with the toxic substance ended up on the road. The Maltese driver was unhurt but a cloud of chlorine dust from the containers was soon in the air causing the fire fighters and the traffic police from the Sampierdarena section to wear protective gear.

The heavy traffic on the autostrada was blocked for about an hour but when the police ascertained that the environmental conditions were back to normal, traffic was allowed on one lane only.

However, there was harsh criticism of the Maltese driver. “This is a criminal act,” said Fulvio Landi, an aide of Transport Minister Enzo Bianchi. “To transport such a dangerous cargo on the roads on such a day of heavy traffic cannot be anything except a criminal act and must be punished.”