At least one person was killed and 70 more injured, 14 of them seriously, after the vehicles collided in northern Italy
THIS is the dramatic moment a fuel tanker and car transporter collided near Bologna Airport to spark an apocalyptic explosion which sent a massive fireball into the sky.
At least one person was killed and up to 70 people injured, 14 of them seriously, when they went up in flames on the packed highway in Borgo Panigale.
Highway police said only the tanker driver died in the crash, revising earlier reports by police that two people were killed.
Footage shows the tanker failing to slow down quick enough and ploughing into the rear of a truck stopped in traffic, with flames exploding on impact.
Another truck appears to hit the tanker from behind.
Motorists fled in terror after the initial blast, with many luckily managing to escape before a second, enormous explosion that spanned eight lanes of the highway and beyond.
Dramatic video footage and photos posted online showed a massive mushroom of black smoke surrounding the fireball and spreading across the sky.
Police closed off the road where the crash took place as well as the surrounding area on the outskirts of the Italian city.
The bridge collapsed under the force of the blast, spreading the fire to a car park where several other vehicles caught fire and exploded.
Firefighters and ambulances rushed to the scene to stop the blaze from spreading further as traffic built up on the road.
Italian prosecutors said the tanker was filled with liquefied petroleum gas, otherwise known as propane, used as a fuel in heaters, cooking equipment and vehicles.
Firefighter Carlo Cardinali told Sky: "It almost would have been an ordinary accident except for the highly flammable material this truck was transporting."
Authorities said they were working to finish the on-sight investigation workers could begin to rebuild the roadway.
The accident closed down a key section of a major north-south highway that is heavily used year-round, but especially as Italy heads into next week's peak summer holiday travel period.
Italy's infrastructure and transport minister, Danilo Toninelli, said authorities were working to ensure that traffic would be able to move smoothly "on such a critical stretch."
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