Two people died and 15 others were injured Wednesday after a fuel tanker exploded at a gas station in central Italy, according to the country's firefighting service.

The incident happened at around 2.30 pm local time in the province of Rieti, Lazio region, when a fuel tanker resupplying a gas station exploded, provoking an enormous fireball. </s> Two people have died in a huge explosion at a gas station in Italy.

Among the victims was a firefighter, the fire brigade in the town of Fara in Sabina near Rome tweeted on Wednesday.

At least 17 people have been injured, according to news agency ANSA.

A tanker caught fire for unknown reasons. The force of the resulting explosion had catapulted a tanker and a vehicle from the fire brigade several meters, the newspaper La Repubblica reported.

The site of the explosion is located about 50 kilometres north-east of Rome in the province of Rieti.

"The situation is under control," Fara in Sabina Mayor Davide Basilicata wrote in the early evening on Facebook.

The site of the accident was still inaccessible and traffic was being redirected. </s> BOLOGNA, Italy - At least two people were killed and 70 injured in a tanker truck explosion near Bologna, Italy.

The explosion happened on a busy highway and caused part of the raised roadway to collapse, CBS News reported.

According to CBS, video showed the tanker rear-ending a vehicle on the highway and causing an explosion. It was then hit by another vehicle from behind.

An unspecified amount of time later, a much larger explosion occurred. </s> One person has died and more than 40 others injured after a tanker truck exploded in Bologna, Italy. The blast caused part of a motorway bridge to collapse, with several people wounded by debris and shattered glass, according to Italian media
Two people died while 18 others are injured when a tank truck caught fire and exploded in the city of Rieti, Italy.