Thirty-three people died in a horrific collision between a fuel truck and a crowded bus in the Democratic Republic of Congo at the weekend, police said Monday.

The victims were engulfed by a "huge fire sparked by the collision" overnight Saturday in the west of the country, local police captain Antoine Pululu told AFP.

Another police source said the bodies were destroyed by the flames, adding that the remains that were recovered were buried on Monday.

The inferno occurred near the village of Kibuba along national route one around 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the capital Kinshasa.

Deadly road accidents are frequent in DR Congo where the roads are full of old vehicles which often do not comply with safety norms.

In addition, the roads are often in a bad state of disrepair, the  drivers are not properly trained and some drink and drive.

The last oil tanker accident in the country killed 53 people along another main road into Kinshasa in October 2018.

In 2010, at least 230 people were burnt to death when a tanker truck overturned.