A 15-year-old boy has been held by police after a suspected acid attack near a shopping centre in east London left six people injured.

Three victims were rushed to hospital after they were hit with the noxious substance when a fight broke out between two groups of males on Saturday night, police said.

Emergency services descended on the Stratford Centre, opposite Westfield Shopping centre, following reports of acid being sprayed over crowds.

A further three people were treated at the scene.

Horrified onlookers reported scenes of panic in the aftermath of the incident which was first feared to be a series of random attacks.

One witness described seeing a young man screaming in pain as his friends shouted "it is an acid attack, he is burning", while others rushed to wash the substance from their skin.

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm in connection with the incident.

Scotland Yard said the altercation took place inside the shopping centre shortly before 8pm.

"During this incident a noxious substance was thrown. When the liquid was thrown, both groups ran from the scene," the force said.

Witness Imran Tahir Rizvi said he overheard the friends of one victim, aged 18 or 19, shouting about an "acid attack", then saw a young man lying on the floor screaming of a burning pain.

"(They were) screaming and shouting for help as he was feeling a burning sensation on his skin," Mr Rizvi told the Press Association.

"His fellows were shouting at police for something. Initially people thought like it was a fight. But the guys (with) the victim started shouting 'it is an acid attack, he is burning'."

In a video shot by Mr Rizvi, a man could be seen sitting on the station floor "crying (and) shouting in pain" while surrounded by paramedics.

A man who gave his name as Hossen, 28, a Burger King assistant manager, said he saw a victim and his friend, a known local homeless man, run into the restaurant's bathroom "to wash acid off his face".

"There were cuts around his eyes and he was trying to chuck water into them," he said.

Inside the Burger King toilets, water could be seen all over the floor, along with toilet tissue and medical gloves.

Many of those at the scene, kept inside the cordon by police, were visibly upset by the incident.

Emergency services respond after a suspected acid attack in Stratford 7 show all Emergency services respond after a suspected acid attack in Stratford 1/7 Emergency services workers outside Stratford Centre PA 2/7 Two police vehicles parked near to a cordon after a suspected acid attack near Stratford shopping centre PA 3/7 A crowd of people speak to police at a cordon outside Stratford Shopping Centre PA 4/7 Emergency services at Stratford Centre in east London, following a suspected noxious substance attack where six people were reported injured PA 5/7 A police cordon inside Stratford Tube station after a suspected acid attack PA 6/7 Emergency services workers outside Stratford Centre PA 7/7 Firefighters at the scene of a suspected acid attack in Stratford PA 1/7 Emergency services workers outside Stratford Centre PA 2/7 Two police vehicles parked near to a cordon after a suspected acid attack near Stratford shopping centre PA 3/7 A crowd of people speak to police at a cordon outside Stratford Shopping Centre PA 4/7 Emergency services at Stratford Centre in east London, following a suspected noxious substance attack where six people were reported injured PA 5/7 A police cordon inside Stratford Tube station after a suspected acid attack PA 6/7 Emergency services workers outside Stratford Centre PA 7/7 Firefighters at the scene of a suspected acid attack in Stratford PA

One said: "I can't speak now, my mate's been hurt."

Harry Green, 19, told MailOnline he witnessed the “chaotic aftermath”.

He said: “As we stepped off the tube there were dozens of people giving statements to officers looking distressed as though something had just happened.”

Members of the London Ambulance Service (LAS) hazardous area response team raced to the scene after the alarm was raised.

Paul Gibson, LAS assistant director of operations, said teams arrived within 10 minutes of the first emergency call and provided fist aid with help from the police and London Fire Brigade.

"We treated six patients in total and took three to London hospitals," he said.

A Met Police spokesman said all the victims were male and inquiries are ongoing into the incident.

Chief Superintendent Ade Adelekan, Newham borough commander, said: "I would like to be very clear concerning this incident.

"What initially may have been perceived as a number of random attacks has, on closer inspection, been found to be one incident involving two groups of males."