Three men – including one from East Anglia – have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by police investigating the cause of the explosion and fire in Leicester on Sunday evening.

%image(15341589, type="article-full", alt="Emergency services at the scene on Hinckley Road in Leicester. Picture: Aaron Chown/PA Wire")

Officers from Leicestershire Police have been investigating the cause of the explosion, which happened at a Polish supermarket with two flats above it in Hinckley Road just after 7pm.

Five people, including three members of the same family, are believed to have died.

Five people were also taken to hospital after the blast.

The two other men arrested hail from the north west and the east midlands, according to police.

%image(15341591, type="article-full", alt="The scene on Hinckley Road in Leicester after a suspected explosion and the subsequent fire destroyed a shop. Picture: Joe Giddens/PA Wire")

The three men, all aged in their 30s, are currently being questioned by detectives.

Police stressed that there remains no evidence that the incident was terror-related.

A Leicestershire Police statement said: “No further details will be released about these individuals at this stage.

“We acknowledge that the terrible events of Sunday night in Hinckley Road have attracted significant public, political and media interest.

%image(15341594, type="article-full", alt="The scene on Hinckley Road in Leicester, after a "major incident" was declared by police. Picture: Aaron Chown/PA Wire")

“However, in the interests of the ongoing investigation, and out of respect for the families of those missing feared dead, and those who were injured in the explosion and fire, we request that the media and public resist speculating about the identities of those arrested, the circumstances that may have led to their arrest and the cause of the explosion.

“Whilst we will not disclose further details at this stage, we stress that there remains no evidence that the events of Sunday night are in any way terrorist related.”