The vehicle had earlier been involved in a crash and everyone in the surrounding area was safely evacuated before the blast.

THIS is the shocking moment a huge fireball was blasted into the sky after a gas tanker exploded on a highway in Italy.

Video footage circulating on social media showed the moment of the blast, with a fireball rising into the sky above the road.

A tanker truck carrying liquid gas exploded on the Italian A1 motorway. It had previously collided with another truck.