Amazon sales rose by more than 30% in the second quarter of the year as the online retail giant saw its sales revenue rise to 30.4 billion US dollars (£23 billion).

The e-commerce firm, which has expanded into video streaming, music and hardware manufacturing in recent years, also saw net income rise to 857 million dollars (£650 million), compared to 92 million dollars (£69.8 million) a year ago.

Jeff Bezos, the chief executive and founder of Amazon, said the company's recent expansion into India showed its continued ambition.

"It's been a busy few months for Amazon around the world, and particularly in India - where we launched a new AWS (Amazon Web Services) Region, introduced Prime with unlimited free shipping, and announced that Prime Video is coming soon, offering Prime members in India exclusive access to Amazon Original Series and Movies - including original content featuring top Indian creators and talent.

"The team in India is inventing at a torrid pace, and we're very grateful to our Indian customers for their welcoming response," he said.

The technology giant also recently announced that it plans to create 1,000 new permanent jobs in the UK in 2016.

The company has also just agreed a deal with the Government to develop and trial drone technology that could be used to deliver the firm's parcels.

Amazon used the earnings announcement to reveal that sales from its second annual Prime Day, where customers on their Prime membership scheme had access to exclusive deals, were up more than 60% on 2015's event.