At least 108 people were killed and 92 others injured in a fuel tanker explosion in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown late Friday, the country's National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) confirmed on Saturday.

According to a statement by NDMA, a loaded fuel tanker and a truck carrying granite stones collided on a highway while the fuel tanker was about to enter a nearby filling station to discharge its fuel.

Videos circulating on social media purportedly show people running through clouds of thick smoke as large fires lit up the night sky. 

Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr called the footage "harrowing."

The majority of the victims were street vendors and motorcyclists, many of whom were caught in the blaze while trying to retrieve fuel, according to volunteer worker Jusu Jacka Yorma, who was at the scene. 

On Saturday morning, fuel still appeared to be leaking from the wrecked tanker as police and soldiers tried to clear large crowds of onlookers from the street, a Reuters report said.

Following the blast, Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio tweeted that he was deeply disturbed by the tragic incident and the horrendous loss of life.

"My profound sympathies with families who have lost loved ones and those who have been maimed as a result," he wrote on Twitter. "My Government will do everything to support affected families."

(With input from agencies)