Accra, Jun 24 (IANS): A total of seven people died after being badly burnt in an explosion which occurred Friday in Ghana's filling station, Xinhua reported Saturday.

Four people lost their lives and 25 others suffered various degrees of burns after a fuel tank exploded at Axim town, near Ghana's port city of Takoradi, Friday morning. Three more victims with heavy burns died later, it added.

According to police, the incident occurred when an underground fuel tank containing pre-mix fuel exploded and burst into flames, burning clothes of people present around the facility.

Seven of the victims were airlifted to the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra Friday.

According to hospital authorities, three of the victims with advanced stages of burns died between Friday night and Saturday morning.

"For those brought to us, the least among them had 64 percent burns, while the highest had 97 percent. With burns, once it goes beyond 30 percent or 40 percent then we have severe burns," said Opoku Ware Ampomah, director of the country's Burns Centre.

Police were yet to confirm the exact cause of the explosion.