Leicestershire police on Monday said four people died in an explosion at a property in Leicester on Sunday night, while four others remained in the hospital.

An explosion destroyed a convenience store and a home in the central English city of Leicester on Sunday, injuring at least six people, officials said earlier.

"We believe there may be people who have not yet been accounted for and rescue efforts continue in order to locate any further casualties," Leicestershire police superintendent Shane O'Neill said.

Pictures and videos posted on social media on Sunday had showed flames leaping into the sky from the site which was reduced to rubble.

The cause of the explosion and fire is yet to be determined and emergency services are at the scene searching the collapsed property and conducting enquiries in the area, the statement said.