The precise circumstances of the explosion remained unclear.
At least 73 people were killed and 110 others injured on Friday when a truck carrying petrol blew up in western Mozambique, the government said in a statement.
“The incident occurred when citizens tried to take petrol from a truck”in a small village in Tete province," the statement said.
“Because of the heat, the truck burst into flames, leading to the deaths of 43 people and causing burns in 110 others, according to investigators’ initial findings,” it added.
The government added that 110 people were injured, some of them critically. Children were among the wounded, it said.
The precise circumstances of the explosion remained unclear.
Authorities were trying to determine whether the oil tank truck was selling petrol when it exploded, or whether it had been ambushed by residents, information ministry director Joao Manasses told AFP.
A local journalist told AFP the truck had crashed on Wednesday and exploded on Thursday afternoon, as scores of people tried to siphon off fuel.
The government "deplores the loss of life... and is currently providing the necessary assistance in order to save lives and to comfort the victims' families," it said.
Three ministers were due to arrive at the scene on Friday in order to monitor the rescuers' work.
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