Fire crews are still trying to secure the hazardous substances on a truck that crashed down a bank on State Highway 36 yesterday.
The road remains closed after a truck-and-trailer unit went over a bank at Ngawaro Gorge yesterday afternoon. A 63-year-old Rotorua man died in the crash.
Megan Ruru, fire communications shift manager, said five fire crews from Rotorua and Ngongotaha were on site attempting to secure the hazardous substance and remove it before the truck could be recovered.
She said she wasn't sure what hazardous material the truck had been carrying but believed it was all still contained in the drums.
The road was still blocked and she was unsure how long it would remain closed.