Seven people were burnt in a fire caused by an explosion at a scrap material shop in Dhaka's Mohammadpur area this afternoon.

The fire broke out while abandoned bottles were being smashed at the shop and one of the bottles exploded.

The injured were identified as shop owner Abdul Alim, 50 and his employees -- Saidur, 33, Faruk, 38, and Amir Hossain, 28. The others -- Qayyum, 40, Russell, 25 and Suruj Ali ,25 -- were employees of an adjacent shop.

The accident took place at around 2:30pm at the shop near Chand Udyan Bhanga Mosque.

The injured were rushed to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery for treatment.

Abul Kashem, brother-in-law of Alim, said an abandoned bottle exploded while Alim and other employees were smashing scrap materials by a machine, causing the fire.

The fire also spread to the nearby shop, burning its employees too, he said.

Partha Sanker Paul, resident surgeon of the burn institute, said condition of four of the injured was critical as they suffered burns all over their bodies, including on their faces.