Highway 40 accident: See what happened in photos and video
Explosion following collision on Montreal autoroute leaves 1 dead, 6 injured
A powerful explosion following an accident on Montreal's Highway 40 during rush hour on Tuesday left one person dead and six others hurt.
Now, in the wake of the fiery blast, structural engineers from Quebec's Transport Ministry are evaluating the extent of the damage to the elevated highway.
- LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Highway 40 completely reopens following fatal tanker fire
Here's a look, in photos and video, at what happened.
Shortly before 4 p.m. ET, a tanker truck full of diesel fuel and another vehicle collided on Highway 40, a main highway around Montreal.
In all, four vehicles, including two trucks and two cars, were involved.
A truck driver was stuck in his vehicle as the flames spread.
Another trucker tried desperately to pry him loose from his vehicle.
He wasn't able to do so before the truck exploded.
The explosion was captured on video.
It sent black smoke billowing over Montreal.
More than 100 firefighters were called to the site of the accident.
Crews worked through the night to clean the highway, using foam to put out the burning overpass.
Structural engineers inspected the overpass through the night.
Early Wednesday morning, the eastbound section of the highway was reopened.
The westbound lanes remain closed after the Christophe-Colomb exit. It's not known when it will reopen
Quebec Transport Minister Jacques Daoust says of the investigation into the damage: "It may take a month, it might take two weeks, it might take two hours. We don't know yet."
Montreal released a detour map to help commuters.
