Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ROAD TO HELL
Two killed in double explosion after lorry smash on busy M-way
FLAMES leap 50ft into the air after a fuel tanker exploded on a busy motorway, killing at least two people and injuring 60.
The truck smashed into the back of a lorry carrying cars before bursting into flames yesterday. The blast blew a hole in the elevated road and several nearby vehicles were destroyed in the inferno.
Local reports said 11 military police and two road officers who were directing traffic after an earlier crash were among those injured.
A video shot from a parked car appeared to show someone being engulfed by the fireball, which was on a section of a flyover. Shortly after this explosion a seoncd bigger blast engulfed the road.
Black smoke from the explosions could be seen for miles around as it billowed into the sky after the smash in Bologna, Italy.
It took firefighters three hours to extinguish the blaze, which was on a highway near the city’s airport.
Emergency coordinator Giovanni Carella said: “The shockwave was extremely violent. Many of the injured got cuts from flying glass, which had shattered.”
He said he thought the tanker had been carrying liquid petroleum gas.
Temperatures reached 35C in Bologna yesterday and officials said the intense heat made it difficult for crews to put out the fire.
Bologna Police tweeted: “Due to an accident on the Autostrada, an explosion occurred with the consequent fire.”