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A road collapsed after a tanker exploded at the side of the road in Bologna on Monday afternoon.

The news agency ANSA said the tanker was carrying liquefied petroleum gas.

Video footage and photos uploaded to Twitter show a huge fireball and plumes of smoke rising in the sky in the northern city.

Terrified residents reported that their houses "shook" when the vehicle exploded at around 12.50pm.

Nearby residents were evacuated from their homes after explosions shattered windows.

(Image: Twitter) (Image: Twitter)

Police say the incident took place on the motorway close to the airport.

Marco Granna, a spokesman for the local health agency in Bologna, said 55 people were taken to the hospital for treatment.

They were suffering from first, second and third-degree burns.

At least two of the injured are police officers, the Italian highway patrol said.

A lorry carrying other cars was involved in the crash.

(Image: SWNS) (Image: SWNS) (Image: Police)

A picture from closer to the scene shows cars at a Peugeot dealership in flames along with a flyover running alongside the business.

Multiple cars underneath the motorway were also on fire.

Workers from the Red Cross said more than 250 volunteers helped at the scene.

Dramatic footage from the scene taken by a motorist driving towards the explosion shows a significant blast before he reverses away from the scene.

The blast triggered a series of explosions that grew in ferocity this afternoon.

(Image: Police) (Image: Police)

(Image: Twitter)

Firefighters battled the flames at the scene on the bypass in Borgo Panigale.

A helicopter took water from the Rhine river to extinguish the flames.

Ambulance crews and a police helicopter were also in attendance.

Drivers were warned of impaired vision in the vicinity of the fire as plumes of smoke spill into the surrounding area.

The road was closed in both directions.

Italian news channel Sky TG24 reported that some of the injured people had been hit by flying glass when windows in nearby buildings exploded.

(Image: Reuters) (Image: EPA) (Image: NC)

(Image: Twitter)

Police said in a statement on Twitter: "Due to an accident on the highway, an explosion occurred resulting in a fire at Via Marco Emilio Lepido.

"Circulation compromised, not only on the motorway, but also in the Borgo Panigale area."

The cause of the explosion is not yet known.

Bologna is the lively, historic capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, in northern Italy.

(Image: NC) (Image: EPA) (Image: NC) (Image: Google)

The city's airport is around 3.7 miles north-west of the city centre in northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region.

It has one 9,186ft runway and one terminal with 24 departure gates.

It is the seventh busiest airport in Italy with 7.7million passengers passing through in 2016.

Management at the airport said there was no disruption to flights.

The road will be closed for a couple of days while repair work is carried out.