Hyderabad, Jun 7 (IANS): Oil spillage from containers after they fell off a truck on a busy road in Hyderabad caused massive traffic jams for several hours in the central parts of the city on Wednesday.

At least eight containers of engine oil fell on the road from a truck carrying them and the oil spilled on the road near NMDC flyover. Several motorists lost balance and fell down.

After the incident, traffic came to a grinding halt on the busy road in Masab Tank, which connects Mehdipatnam area to Banjara Hills, Lakdi Ka Pul and other parts of the city.

Vehicles coming from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Shamshabad via PVNR Express Way were also caught in the gridlock. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on several key roads surrounding Masab Tank.

Traffic police swung into action to divert the traffic at Mehdipatnam. Police had a tough time controlling the chaos.

Personnel of Disaster Response Force and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) were pressed into action to clear the oil. The workers were seen dumping mud and powder to prevent further spread of the oil.

Traffic police said the traffic has been restored on the affected route. However, the movement of vehicles was slow and the cascading impact of traffic jams continued on surrounding roads.