A tanker truck carrying thousands of gallons of fuel became the epicenter of chaos and traffic snarls when it overturned on Florida's Turnpike in Southwest Miami-Dade, authorities said. The incident unfolded during the early rush of Memorial Day weekend on Friday afternoon between Kendall Drive and Sunset Drive, causing significant delays for commuters heading northbound.

The crash, reportedly involving two SUVs, led the tanker to tragically rollover and prompted responders to rush to the scene, according to NBC Miami. Paramedics assessed 11 individuals at the spot of the accident, with all avoiding serious harm, police said. Hazardous materials units were among the firefighter teams that responded to contain the diesel spillage sprawled across the roadway.

With the tanker incapacitated and sprawling across lanes, the traffic was brought to a near standstill as the highway observed closures for several hours. Images captured from the sky by Chopper 6 revealed the extent of the disruption and the subsequent efforts by firefighters and hazmat teams to manage the emergency unfolding below.

Some drivers, in a desperate bid to escape the jam, were allowed to make U-turns on the northbound lanes by Florida Highway Patrol troopers, WSVN reported. The official clean-up crews were faced with the daunting task to quickly clean up the spillage from the tanker, which can carry about 3,100 gallons of fuel.

After extensive efforts to manage the situation, the lanes reopened, except for two which remained closed as workers righted and eventually towed the tanker truck away from the scene. The flow of traffic gradually resumed to normal as the Turnpike reclaimed its function as a major artery for the holiday weekend’s travel surge.