AT least two people have died and five have been injured, one of them critically, after a fuel tanker overturned and burst into flames on a motorway in Malaga province.
Shocking footage shows a plume of black smoke billowing from the wreck after the lorry careened off the AP-7 motorway between Benahavis and Estepona, near Marbella, on Monday evening.
The dramatic scenes followed a crash involving three vehicles, including the tanker and a crane lorry transporting a car, at around 5.50pm.
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Emergency services pronounced the two victims dead at the scene, while the five injured were taken to nearby hospitals.
One person, aged 55, is in a critical condition; three others, aged 68, 52 and 42, are in a serious condition with a guarded prognosis; and another 42-year-old suffered minor injuries, the 061 emergency service told EFE.
The tragedy continued to unfold as flames quickly spread from the burning wreck into a nearby grove of trees close to the local botanical garden.
Two helicopters and 26 firefighters raced to the scene to bring the blaze under control, finally extinguishing the fire several hours later.
The AP-7 motorway, which had been closed, reopened to traffic at around 9pm.
Two fire engines and 18 personnel from Andalucia’s wildfire prevention and firefighting service, INFOCA, remained at the scene to monitor the area for potential flare-ups, according to reports.
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