At least 57 people have been killed and 65 injured in a fuel tanker explosion in Tanzania, police say, BBC News reported.

The incident occurred in Morogoro region, about 200 km west of the port city of Dar es Salaam.

Police said people were trying to recover fuel from the vehicle, which had overturned on a major road some time earlier, when the blast happened.

There are fears the death toll could rise.