Two buses and a fuel tanker have collided on a major highway in Afghanistan killing 52 people.

An official told the BBC that 73 people injured in the accident had been taken to hospital in Ghazni province.

All three vehicles were set ablaze after the collision on the main road linking the capital, Kabul, to the southern city of Kandahar.

Accidents are common in Afghanistan where roads are often in a poor state and traffic rules rarely enforced.

Mohammadullah Ahmadi, the director of the provincial traffic department, said the crash was caused by reckless driving, the Associated Press news agency reports.

He said local residents helped fire fighters and first responders pull survivors from the wreckage.

Jawed Salangi, spokesman for the governor of eastern Ghazni province, told the BBC's Mahfouz Zubaide that he had seen documents showing that altogether there were 125 passengers travelling on the buses.

According to the Efe news agency, the collision happened at about 06:30 local time (02:00 GMT).