A broad intersection in Narragansett was shut down for nearly eight hours Sunday after an overturned haul dumped tons of commercial seafood onto the asphalt, creating an overwhelming odor under the summer sun. Local emergency officials ultimately dubbed the bizarre traffic hazard the \u201cSquidpocalypse of \u201926.\u201d<\/p>\n
The incident occurred on a bright, warm Sunday in the seaside community of Narragansett, where police Capt. Ryan Prest noted he was advised that the scene \u201cstarted to smell bad as the squid sat out in the sun for a few hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to a statement from the local police department, the fully-loaded trailer was transporting its shipment to an out-of-town processing facility when it uncoupled and flipped onto its side while making a turn, throwing a \u201csubstantial portion\u201d of its calamari cargo across the pavement.<\/p>\n
Rhode Island plays a dominant role in the East Coast seafood market, with Narragansett\u2019s Point Judith acting as one of the commercial fishing hubs for longfin squid in the northeastern United States. Fleet landings in the state total tens of millions of pounds each year, supplying regional distribution facilities and seafood processors.<\/p>\n
Emergency personnel arrived at the scene at 9:27 a.m., and officers were unable to clear and reopen the affected intersection until 5:15 p.m., according to authorities.<\/p>\n
Video recorded at the location displayed the trailer resting on its side alongside massive piles of squid strewn across the road surface.<\/p>\n
\u201cSquid has a distinctive odor to it,\u201d Richard Stevens, a Narragansett resident and fisherman, told WJAR. \u201cIt can be very foul smelling, especially if it lands on the road and stays there for awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crews relied on heavy equipment alongside a dump truck to collect and remove the sea creatures from the highway, Prest explained.<\/p>\n
Neither the driver nor a passenger riding inside the cab suffered injuries in the rollover, and no additional vehicles were involved, according to Prest. He added that the Rhode Island State Police Commercial Enforcement Unit has launched an inquiry, though it remains undetermined whether any formal charges will result.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not issued any citations,\u201d Prest said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure if there will be any citations issued by the state police.\u201d<\/p>\n
State police officials did not immediately reply to inquiries seeking comment.<\/p>\n
By Wednesday, the Narragansett Police Department addressed the slippery mess with humor on social media, posting that the community is \u201cstill recovering\u201d from the \u201cSquidpocalypse of \u201926 \u2014 the spill that put \u2018slippery when wet\u2019 to shame.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Kelety reported from Phoenix.<\/p>\n