The accident in the south-west bound tunnel tube on the motorway between Maribor and Ljubljana (Štajersko motorway) took place at 5 AM as the vehicle was almost exiting the tube.

The Slovenian lorry carrying wheat caught fire due to a turbine malfunction. The completely destroyed vehicle has already been removed from the tunnel.

According to first reports, there were no injuries in the accident, while police reported that material damage amounted to several thousand euros.

New portal 24ur.com meanwhile reported that the damage was quite big, amounting to at least EUR 200,000.

The tunnel infrastructure was damaged, including electrical installations, cameras and tunnelling shield, with heat making a huge hole in the ceiling.

Jana Vrhovnik of the motorway company DARS told the press that it was impossible to assess final damage as a commission was still inspecting the tunnel and its equipment.

Traffic on the motorway section bound in the Maribor-Ljubljana direction has been diverted to the regional road that runs parallel to the motorway.