A British teacher and her American friend were seriously injured after an illegal petrol station exploded in Cambodia as they rode past on a motorcycle.

Zoe Eleftheriou, 22, from Medway, Kent, and Abigail Alexander, 18, from Miamisburg, Ohio, are being treated in hospital after they were badly burned in the blast in Siem Reap.

Dash cam footage from a car captured the moment the LPG station burst into flames on Wednesday, injuring 13 people.

Cambodia Police said it is believed a tanker truck carrying 2,000 litres of petrol ignited while transferring gas to a storage tank.

Ms Alexander, who was riding on the back of the motorbike, which shielded Ms Eleftheriou from more serious injuries, suffered burns to more than 35 per cent of her body.

Cambodia: A beautiful, haunting and heart-breaking countryupdate: “I arrived beside Zoe to find her bandaged back up and still with tubes down her throat.

“It was explained they were still there because of the swelling on her neck and the rest of her body.

British teacher Zoe Eleftheriou and American Abigail Alexander were seriously injured in an explosion at a petrol station in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on 14 August 2019. (Cambodia Police)

“The second doctor that spoke to me said her swelling was more than they would have expected so they are monitoring her for infection.

“Yesterday she started the first of many surgical operations to remove dead skin which could come infected if left.

“She is able to nod and shake her head to questions or write letters in the air with her bandaged hands but trying to