A tractor-trailer rollover sent a truckload of squid spilling into a Rhode Island roadway, leaving a stench as they sat in the road for hours in the summer heat. Local authorities have dubbed it the 鈥淪quidpocalypse of 鈥�26.鈥�
It was a warm, sunny day in the coastal town of Narragansett when the spill happened Sunday, and Narragansett Police Capt. Ryan Prest said he was told that the scene 鈥渟tarted to smell bad as the squid sat out in the sun for a few hours.鈥�
The fully-loaded trailer was taking the squid to a processing facility out of town when the trailer dislodged and tipped on its side as the driver was navigating a turn, spilling a 鈥渟ubstantial portion鈥� of its calamari cargo, the police department said in a statement.
Police responded at 9:27 a.m., and the intersection wasn鈥檛 reopened until 5:15 p.m., authorities said.
Video of the scene showed a trailer on its side and massive piles of squid on the road.
鈥淪quid has a distinctive odor to it,鈥� Richard Stevens, a Narragansett resident and fisherman, told WJAR. 鈥淚t can be very foul smelling, especially if it lands on the road and stays there for awhile.鈥�
Heavy equipment and a dump truck were used to remove the squid, Prest said.
The driver and a passenger in the truck cab weren鈥檛 injured, and no other vehicles were involved, Prest said. The Rhode Island State Police Commercial Enforcement Unit is investigating but it鈥檚 unclear if any enforcement action will be taken, Prest said.
鈥淲e have not issued any citations,鈥� Prest said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure if there will be any citations issued by the state police.鈥�
State police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Narragansett Police Department made light of the situation in a social media post on Wednesday, stating that the town is 鈥渟till recovering鈥� from the 鈥淪quidpocalypse of 鈥�26 鈥� the spill that put 鈥榮lippery when wet鈥� to shame.鈥�
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Kelety reported from Phoenix.
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