More than 20 tons of squid ended up on a highway in the U.S. state of Rhode Island after a seafood truck overturned. The accident occurred on Sunday morning in the town of Narragansett, according to the website infohub.kz.
According to local police, the driver lost control on a curve. The fully loaded trailer, which was headed to a processing plant, tipped over, spilling a large portion of its cargo onto the roadway.
The aftermath was extensive: the road had to be closed for a long time, and traffic was significantly disrupted from about 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Road and rescue crews had to clear the massive pile of squid under the scorching sun using mechanical loaders.
There was also an unpleasant odor. Narragansett resident Richard Stevens told a local TV station that the stench quickly spread through the area. He said that as a fisherman, he is used to the smell of squid, but in the heat, the seafood lying on the road began to smell particularly strong.
The driver and a passenger in the truck were not injured. However, state police fined the driver for improperly securing the load.
Rhode Island is considered a hub for squid trade in the region: millions of pounds of longfin and shortfin squid pass through its ports each year. The seafood is so significant to the state that squid is officially recognized as its state appetizer.
This time, however, instead of reaching store counters and processing plants, the squid briefly ended up right on the highway, creating a multi-ton and quite smelly traffic jam for motorists.