TWO lorry drivers were killed when their vehicles collided and erupted in a fireball this morning on one of Worcestershire's busiest roads.

The articulated lorries - one carrying magazines and one fruit and vegetables - met head-on at around 3.50am between Egdon crossroads and the Peopleton turning on the A44, near Pershore.

Two fire engines were initially sent, from Worcester and Pershore, before a water carrier and three other appliances raced to the scene.

Flames were visible for miles around and both drivers died in the incident. One body has been recovered and fire crews remained on the scene searching for the second.

"It was basically a fireball when the two hit," said Alec Mackie, a spokesman for Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade.

"As the first crew from Worcester went they could see the glow in the sky and that was three or four miles away."

The noise of the crash woke nearby residents, who called the fire brigade, and the road surface melted under the intense heat.

By 8am only the burned-out shells of both curtain-sided lorries remained.

Eight firefighters with breathing apparatus trawled through the wreckage throughout the morning, and the road is expected to be closed all day. Diversions are in place.

"It was a very severe fire but it did not spread away from the incident," said Mr Mackie.

"There was nothing we could do for the drivers."

A police collision investigation unit are trying to find the cause of the incident, and officers are appealing for witnesses to call them on 08457 444888.

A female driver, Mandi Hawkins, died on the same road heading towards Evesham in February 2002.