A Maltese family holidaying in Italy were just one brief snack break away from having their vacation turn into a flaming tragedy on Monday.

The Fenechs were making their way towards Rimini when they found themselves metres away from a massive motorway collision in Bologna which killed at one, injured 60 and ripped a massive hole in a highway bridge.

“We had stopped for a short break at a gas station a bit earlier,” recalled Zak Grech Fenech, 16.

“If we hadn’t done that, we would have been extremely close to the fireball.”

The mayhem was caused by a collision between two large trucks. One, which was carrying a load of flammable liquid, exploded in a huge fireball.

Fire subsequently spread to a car park under the bridge, which collapsed, with several other cars exploding. Mr Grech Fenech was sitting in the passenger seat at the time. His uncle was driving, with his cousin and grandfather in the rear passenger seats.

We heard this massive boom and the van started to shake

“We heard this massive boom and the van started to shake, even though we were shielded by a delivery van right in front of us,” the teen said.

“People in the cars ahead of us were just abandoning their vehicles and running away to safety.”

Mr Grech Fenech captured the entire event on his mobile phone.

“We knew there was heavy traffic on the motorway ahead – the GPS had alerted us – but as we got closer, the cloud of smoke seemed to get larger and larger,” he explained.

“I figured I’d get my phone out, just in case.”

The family made it safely off the motorway, quickly beating an exit and continuing their journey while breathing a sigh of relief.

“When we got out, the body of the car was still hot from the explosion,” Mr Grech Fenech said.

“It was pretty incredible.”

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