Massive explosion kills at least 2, rips huge hole in highway outside Bologna, Italy

At least two people were killed and 67 injured, police said.

August 6, 2018, 11:27 AM

Italian police said at least two people were killed and 67 injured in a massive explosion that ripped a huge hole in a highway near an airport in northern Italy.

Video and photos from witnesses showed a massive fireball shooting into the air on a highway in the suburbs of Bologna on Tuesday afternoon.

PHOTO: This handout combination photo  made available by Autostrade per l'Italia, of three frames, taken by cameras, shows the moment of the impact and the consequent explosion in Bologna, Italy, Aug. 06, 2018.
This handout combination photo made available by Autostrade per l'Italia, of three frames, taken by cameras, shows the moment of the impact and the consequent explosion in Bologna, Italy, Aug. 06, 2018.
Autostrade/EPA via Shutterstock

Police in Bologna said a vehicle accident caused a fire that led to the explosion, and Italian firefighters said a tanker carrying inflammable material was involved.

A firefighter walks under a partially collapsed motorway after an explosion following a road accident in Bologna, Italy, Aug. 6, 2018.
Giorgio Benvenuti/EPA via Shutterstock

Traffic was blocked in the area, and videos and photos from the scene showed burned-out vehicles and a partially-collapsed roadway.

An image taken from a video made available by the Italian national police force shows a partial collapsed section of the motorway bridge of the Casalecchio A1-A14 junction following a road accident in Bologna, Italy, Aug. 6, 2018.
Polizia Di Stato/EPA via Shutterstock

"My car is still under the flyover, I am waiting to see if and when I can get it back," Marco Rosadini, from Arezzo, Italy, told Italian news agency ANSA. He said he was at a restaurant in the area. "At one point, we heard a violent explosion. I thought it was an attack."

An aerial image provided by Italian firefighters shows smoke and flame after an explosion on a highway in the outskirts of Bologna, Italy, Aug. 6, 2018.
Vigili Del Fuoco via AP

He said that there were seven to eight minutes of what sounded like explosions causing the glass roof of the restaurant to collapse.

PHOTO: Emergency services move an injured person on a stretcher following a road accident near Bologna, 
Italy, Aug. 6, 2018.
Emergency services move an injured person on a stretcher following a road accident near Bologna, Italy, Aug. 6, 2018.
Giorgio Benvenuti/EPA via Shutterstock
Firefighters work near the motorway after an accident caused a large explosion and fire on the outskirts of Bologna, Italy, Aug. 6, 2018.
Reuters
A firefighter walks past a line of burned vehicles following a road accident near Bologna, Italy, Aug. 6, 2018.
Giorgio Benvenuti/EPA via Shutterstock
Firefighters work at the scene where a tanker truck exploded on a motorway just outside Bologna, northern Italy, on Aug. 6, 2018.
AFP/Getty Images