Police in Zimbabwe pulled the charred remains of passengers from a bus that caught fire overnight in the south of the country and said at least 42 people were feared dead and more than 20 were taken to hospital with injuries, state broadcaster ZEC said.

The bus was travelling from Bulawayo city to the border town of Beitbridge when it caught fire around midnight after a suspected gas tank leak. A picture on the broadcaster's website showed the bus's incinerated shell.

Last week 50 people were killed when two buses collided. It was not immediately possible to reach a police spokesperson for comment.