Squid games: 2 tons of calamari spill out onto Rhode Island roadway NBC News LogoSearchSearchLiveNBC News LogoToday Logo - Analysis & Updates [2026-10-01] | Latest News Today

Aug. 19, 2026, 12:31 PM EDT / Updated Aug. 19, 2026, 1:46 PM EDT

A tractor-trailer tipped over and spilled 2 tons of squid onto a Rhode Island roadway, prompting an hours-long cleanup of what local police dubbed the “Squidpocalypse of ’26,” officials said Wednesday.

The seafood smashup unfolded at about 9:27 a.m. Sunday in Narragansett, when the truck’s “trailer became dislodged from the cab and overturned onto its side” near Point Judith and Galilee Escape roads, Narragansett police said in a statement.

The cab did not tip over, and its driver was not injured, police said.

A massive spill from a tractor-trailer carrying thousands of pounds of squid caused a roadway in Narragansett, R.I., to be closed for more than seven hours on Sunday. WJAR

The load had been headed for a processing facility when the spill occurred, police said.

By Wednesday, with the cleanup complete, Narragansett police were having a laugh about the spill, writing in a social media update: “And here in Narragansett, we’re still recovering from The Squidpocalypse of ’26 — the spill that put ‘slippery when wet’ to shame.”

Workers clean up the spill in Narragansett.WJAR

The intersection was closed for several hours as crews cleared the roadway, police said.

The matter was still being investigated. As of Wednesday afternoon, no one had been cited in the accident.

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“Citations may be issued at some point,” Police Capt. Ryan Prest said.

Police thanked several agencies for their roles in the cleanup, including the Narragansett Fire Department and the state Commercial Enforcement Unit, Transportation Department and Environmental Management Department.

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Squid games: 2 tons of calamari spill out onto Rhode Island roadway

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

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