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A New Zealand woman had to dive from her moving car to escape a fireball as its gas tank exploded in Queensland.
The woman's husband - also a New Zealander - suffered burns after the fireball from an exploding LPG gas cylinder engulfed their vehicle, Channel Nine TV reported.
The couple were driving at Proston, 280km north-west of Brisbane, about 1pm on Monday when one of two gas cylinders in the back of their vehicle exploded.
The 49-year-old husband, who was driving the vehicle, tried to slow down as the fireball engulfed the inside of the vehicle and as the car's speed dropped to 40km/h the woman followed a suggestion from him and jumped.
The man then pulled up a little further down the road and exited of the burning vehicle.
The injured couple have lived in Australia for three years.
A rescue helicopter pilot, Andrew Caton, who flew the couple to the Royal Brisbane Hospital said it was an unusual incident.
"The husband is the real hero here, he has suffered significant burns to all of his limbs and if he had not told his wife to jump out of the vehicle when she did, she would have suffered at least as much as he did.
"As it turns out, she came out of this situation with only minor abrasions."
The man was today discharged from the Royal Brisbane Hospital .
- NZPA
