A fireball erupted over Rome this morning as an explosion ripped through a petrol station.
At least 20 police officers, emergency service personnel and passers-by are said to have been injured in the blast, after firefighters had been called to tend to a lorry that had hit a pipeline.
Paramedics and responders were already at the scene when the petrol station blew up - with dramatic footage showing debris flying through the air as it happened.
Further images and videos from the scene show an extraordinary fireball and subsequent "mushroom cloud".
Elsewhere, windows have been shattered and buildings have been left damaged - with the blast picked up on seismograms as it rocked the "eternal city" on Friday morning.
WATCH: DRAMATIC MOMENT PETROL STATION EXPLODES IN ROME
Il video dell'impressionante esplosione avvenuta a Roma questa mattina poco dopo le 8: tutto è accaduto in una pompa di benzina nella zona Est della Capitale, in via dei Gordiani. pic.twitter.com/8WGqy77Fw3
— Lettera43 (@Lettera43) July 4, 2025
One nearby resident told local media: "I woke up with a start, I heard a very loud explosion, it sounded like a bomb."
"All the windows shook, I thought it was an earthquake," another eyewitness said.
One other added: "We didn't understand what it was, all the windows shook. It could have been a bomb, an earthquake, we didn't understand. Then from the smoke we understood it was an explosion."
The Vigili del Fuoco, Italy's fire brigade, said in a statement that 10 teams are working to extinguish the flames affecting a judicial depot at the rear of the petrol station.
"Several injured people have been assisted," it said.
Elisabetta Accardo, of the Rome prosecutor's office, warned that the inferno "is not yet under control" with the explosion "causing chain reactions".
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PICTURED: Footage from nearby homes shows the fireball shooting up into the sky
PICTURED: Smoke rises over Rome after the blast
REUTERS
PICTURED: A burnt-out ambulance after this morning's blast
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"The provisional toll is eight police officers with burns... their lives are not in danger," she added.
Emergency services added that the fire had spread to a nearby depot, while the shockwave from the explosion damaged nearby buildings.
After the blast, Rome's public transport agency Atac said it closed the Teano metro station nearby following instructions from police.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said: "I am closely following the consequences of the explosion that occurred this morning at a gas station in the Prenestino neighbourhood, in Rome.
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MAPPED: WHERE DID THE BLAST TAKE PLACE?
Location of the blast site
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"I have spoken with the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, and I remain in constant contact with undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano and the relevant authorities to monitor the evolution of the situation.
"I express my solidarity with all the injured - including law enforcement officers, firefighters, and healthcare workers - and extend my heartfelt thanks to all those engaged in rescue and safety operations."
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