At least 60 people have been killed and 70 injured after a fuel tanker exploded in Tanzania after a collision.

The tanker burst into flames as crowds gathered to siphon petrol from the vehicle in Morogoro, about 125 miles (200km) west of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

Videos circulating on social media showed the burned remains of dozens of young men, while footage from before the explosion showed a large crowd collecting liquid from puddles in jerry cans.

Daniel Ngogo, a witness, told Reuters: “The situation is really bad. Many people died here, even those who were not stealing fuel because this is a busy place.

“The fire was huge and it was challenging to rescue victims. I have seen about 65 to 70 people being rescued because the fire was fast spreading across the accident area.”

The president, John Magufuli, said he was shocked and saddened by the deaths, his office said in a statement.

The government spokesman Hassan Abbasi wrote on Twitter: “We have been saddened by reports of an accident involving a fuel truck in Morogoro, which caught fire and burnt several people.”

Abbasi said the government was helping to coordinate the rescue operation “to ensure we bury the bodies … relatives identify the bodies of their loved ones, and those injured get proper treatment”.

In January, a similar incident killed at least 12 people and left many injured in south-east Nigeria.