Former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May feared Richard Hammond was dead following a horror crash in Switzerland.

The 47-year-old, who sustained brain injuries after a 288mph rocket car accident in 2006, was airlifted to hospital after flipping a £2million electric supercar which then burst into flames as he filmed his new Amazon show The Grand Tour.

But he miraculously escaped the fireball horror with little more than a fractured knee and was 'conscious and talking' after freeing himself from the vehicle.

His Grand Tour colleagues May and Clarkson were 'staggered' he survived because there was 'nothing left' of the vehicle.

Amazon later released this image showing the burnt-out wreckage of the car laying upside down on a hill

Richard Hammond is being treated in hospital after flipping a £2million supercar which then burst into flames as he filmed his new Amazon show

This is the moment the former BBC star crashed in the supercar as he and co-hosts filmed their new show

The crash is reported to have happened on a road that was closed for the Bergrennen Hemberg race

The vehicle appeared to have rolled down a hill following the crash in Switzerland

Pictures from the scene showed a car in flames alongside a road in St. Gallen before the blaze was extinguished by firefighters

Richard Hammond is pictured at the end of last month arriving for dinner at the Ivy Chelsea Garden with his wife Amanda Etheridge as well as his daughters Willow and Isabella

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Grand Tour executive producer Andy Wilman said: 'Jeremy and James both raced down to the scene of the crash as soon as it happened. When they saw the wreckage on fire they thought Richard was dead. It was really bad.

'They were staggered he had got out of it alive, because there was just nothing left. Everyone is so relieved. If Richard had been a few seconds slower getting out, he would have been incinerated.'

Pictures from the scene showed the Rimac Concept One car in flames alongside a road in St. Gallen before the blaze was extinguished by firefighters.

Grand Tour producer Amazon later released images showing the burnt-out wreckage of the car laying upside down on a hill.

The crash is reported to have happened on a road that was closed for the Bergrennen Hemberg race.

A spokesperson for The Grand Tour said: 'Richard Hammond was involved in a serious crash after completing the Hemburg Hill Climb in Switzerland in a Rimac Concept One, an electric super car built in Croatia, during filming for The Grand Tour Season 2 on Amazon Prime, but very fortunately suffered no serious injury.

The presenter was driving a Rimac Concept One, an electric super car built in Croatia

Firefighters were pictured putting out the burning wreckage of the car

A source said: 'The crash was really bad. The car completely flipped and then burst into flames'

'Richard was conscious and talking, and climbed out of the car himself before the vehicle burst into flames.

'He was flown by Air Ambulance to hospital in St Gallen to be checked over revealing a fracture to his knee.

'Nobody else was in the car or involved in the accident, and we'd like to thank the paramedics on site for their swift response.

'The cause of the crash is unknown and is being investigated.'

Grand Tour co-star Jeremy Clarkson tweeted: 'It was the biggest crash I've ever seen and the most frightening but incredibly, and thankfully, Richard seems to be mostly OK.'

A source told The Sun: 'The crash was really bad. The car completely flipped and then burst into flames.

'There was real concern for Richard but the emergency services were quickly on hand and he's a very lucky boy.

'It brought back horrendous memories of the 2006 crash for those who witnessed it.'

The crash, pictured right, comes just weeks after Mr Hammond, pictured left, toppled off his motorcycle and banged his head while riding through a 'remote' part of Mozambique

Mr Hammond was earlier pictured filming the second series of The Grand Tour - his new Amazon show

Mr Hammond took a selfie with fan moments before the crash took place and suffered just a knee fracture

After the news broke, several fans took to Twitter to voice their concern and send him their best wishes, while others highlighted his unbeatable fearlessness.

Twitter user JGA wrote to his co-stars Mr Clarkson and Mr May and said: ‘My best wishes to @RichardHammond. Hope he is ok. Nothing puts him off – I know he’ll be getting back in a car soon.’

Vitesh Patel said: ‘Get well @RichardHammond, don’t want to speculate what happened, just get better!’

Tommy Jack wrote: ‘Hope Richard Hammond is ok, looked proper nasty crash.’

It comes just weeks after Mr Hammond toppled off his motorcycle and banged his head while riding through a 'remote' part of Mozambique.

In a blog post, he wrote: 'It's true, I did fall off a motorbike whilst filming recently for The Grand Tour in Mozambique.

'I banged my head, yes, along with pretty much everything else apart from my left thumb, which remains un-bruised.

'Can't tell you more yet about the how and why of it; that's all for later in the year on the show. As for injuries; well put it this way, I don't think I can get a book out of it.'

In 2006 Hammond nearly died after crashing a jet powered car at 288 mph

He was driving a jet-powered Vampire dragster when the front-right tyre burst in 2006

It led to the vehicle to spin out of control during a stunt at Elvington airfield near York

In 2006 Hammond nearly died after crashing a jet powered car at 288 mph and slipped into a coma during an attempt to break the British land speed record for the BBC show.

He was driving a jet-powered Vampire dragster when the front-right tyre burst leading the vehicle to spin out of control during a stunt at Elvington airfield near York.

Hammond suffered serious head injuries and he was in hospital for five weeks before returning home to his wife Mindy and their two daughters, Isabella and Willow.

The TV presenter, nicknamed 'Hamster', later told how he struggled 'mortally with depression' and spoke regularly to a psychiatrist following the incident.