A7 near Göttingen: vehicle loses unknown substance – highway is as smooth as glass

Enlarge image

On Monday morning, cleaning vehicles remove the mirror-smooth substance from a section of the route

Photo: Swen Pförtner / dpa

Suddenly the road was as smooth as glass: Despite the clear plus degrees, the A7 near Göttingen became a dangerous slide on Monday night.

The reason was apparently a substance that leaked from a tanker truck.

According to the police, a previously unknown vehicle lost a "white, powdery substance" late on Sunday evening, causing the motorway to be blocked.

On the road, the substance turned into a waxy layer.

According to initial findings, the substance itself is not dangerous, but caused extreme slipperiness, as the police announced on Monday.

Some road users slipped.

According to previous knowledge, there were no accidents, as the police announced on Monday.

The highway was closed overnight over a stretch of 50 kilometers in a southerly direction.

The closure extended from Northeim north of Göttingen to Lutterberg just before the state border with Hesse.

Police are asking for information

The leaked substance is probably paraffin, the police said.

The officials suspect that a tanker lost the liquid and that it then dried on the road.

Paraffin is mainly used in the manufacture of candles.

It is a by-product of petroleum processing.

The cause of the contamination has not yet been found, it said.

The police are now asking for information.

The approximately 50-kilometer section is now being cleaned by specialist companies, the police said.

Some sections of the route were reopened on Monday afternoon.

It is not possible to say when the work will be finally completed.

Police recommend driving around the area.

The detour routes are completely overloaded.

zob/AFP