Qld truck explosion closes highway

Authorities have set up an exclusion zone on a major highway in central Queensland after a truck carrying volatile ammonium nitrate went up in flames.

Part of the Leichhardt Highway, north of Banana, remains closed following the crash at 4.20am Saturday (AEST).

The truck driver was unhurt and the fire contained.

Traffic is being diverted via the Burnett Highway and Dawson Highway between Dululu and Biloela.

The transportation of ammonium nitrate has been in question since September when eight people were injured and a bridge wiped out in an explosion after a truck carrying the chemical crashed and rolled.

The explosion, near Charleville, was described as the most powerful in Australian transport history.