According to local officials, a petrol truck outside Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, burst following a collision, killing at least 91 people.

According to the BBC, the crash occurred at 10 p.m. Friday outside the bustling Choithram Supermarket in the Wellington district of Choithram. Bystanders and surrounding vehicles were engulfed when fuel spilled and ignited.

"I was saddened to hear about an explosion near Bai Bureh Road, Wellington, after a tanker carrying fuel collided with another truck," Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr said on Facebook.

"The video and photo footage making rounds on social media are harrowing," she added. "My sympathies go out to the families and loved ones of the victims of the explosion. May the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace."

Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio said in a statement on Twitter, he was "deeply disturbed by the tragic fire and the horrendous loss of life," in the area.

"My profound sympathies with families who have lost loved ones and those who have been maimed as a result," his statement continued. "My government will do everything to support affected families."