Five people have been hospitalised, with three in a life-threatening condition, after a suspected arson attack at a restaurant in east London.

Police, paramedics and firefighters were called to the fire on Woodford Avenue in Gants Hill, Ilford, at 21:00 BST on Friday.

Three women and two men were injured in the blaze, and were taken hospital where they remain. A witness said he saw one of the men in the aftermath whose "whole body was burnt".

The cause of the fire is being investigated by firefighters and the police. No arrests have been made, the Met Police said.

Part of the ground floor of the restaurant was damaged by the flames, which were extinguished by 22:30.

The five people who were hospitalised were rescued from the building by fire crews, with about nine others being able to get out of the building before the brigade arrived.

One witness, hospital porter Edward Thawe, 43, said he saw an injured man, whose "whole body was burnt".

Mr Thawe said he stepped outside his nearby home with his 12-year-old son to see if he could help after hearing screaming.

The police and ambulance were already at the scene, which Mr Thawe described as "horrible" and "the sort of thing that you don't want to look at twice".

Another Ilford resident, who did not want to give his name, said he saw three injured people being doused by the emergency services.

He said the people were "severely burned" and that they were being given oxygen.

He added: "I can only imagine the pain they were going through. It was just an absolutely horrible situation."

Uniformed officers guarded the police cordon on Saturday as forensic officers in protective clothing examined the scene.

Local businessman Sayed Bokhari, 39, said he had spoken to the manager of the restaurant following the blaze and "he was crying. He was very shocked. He was really crying. He was extremely scared".

"It's awful and it's very scary," he added.

"It looked like a scene from Halloween. It was a serious, dramatic thing and people were running around him," he said, referring to the injured man.

Det Ch Insp Mark Rogers said: "We understand this incident will cause concern within the community. My team of specialist detectives are working at speed to piece the incident together.

"Locals can expect to see a large police presence in the area. If you have any concerns, please speak to those officers on the ground."

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who is the MP for Ilford North, posted on X his thanks to police, fire and ambulance crews for their response.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk