Seven people were injured by fireworks on the Aegean Sea island of Santorini in Greece on Sunday as the country was celebrating Easter Day.

The injured included three American tourists, aged 51, 53 and 54 respectively, who were transferred by air from Santorini to Crete after suffering serious injuries from fireworks used by worshippers.

Four other people, two Cypriots and two Greeks, were also slightly injured in the same incident and received first aid on the Greece's popular tourist island.

The use of fireworks to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ is a centuries-old tradition in Greece, but almost each year the country reports casualties caused by fireworks on Easter Day.

Over 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide were celebrating Easter this year on Sunday.