Funeral held for three children killed in house fire

Nakash, 13, Aayat, 11, and seven-year-old Muhammad Malik

The funeral has taken place of three children killed in a house fire in east London.

Hundreds of people lined the streets outside the Minhaj ulQuran mosque in Forest Gate to pay tribute to Nakash, 13, Aayat, 11, and seven-year-old Muhammad Malik.

The mourners packed into the building to pray and offer sympathy to the children's parents.

Their father, Khurram Malik, spoke and thanked everyone for attending and asked people to pray for him and his family, adding that he did not know how he would get over the loss.

Mourners packed into the Minhaj ulQuran mosque for the funeral service

The funeral also heard from a spokesperson for London Fire Brigade, as well as the Reverend Dr Sue Lucas, rector of the Parish of the Holy Trinity in East Ham.

She spoke about how the whole community was coming together to support the family.

Imam Shaqib Juneja, from the Newham Community Forum, told BBC London London that "various diverse communities" from across the area had gone to pay their respects.

"I think this has really touched people," he said. "The family need hope. The family need that closure to know that the children are in a better place."

The three children were taken to the cemetery by horse-drawn carriages

Following the service, three horse-drawn carriages led the funeral procession to nearby Woodgrange Park Cemetery, where a burial took place.

Metropolitan Police officers continue to investigate the cause of the fire alongside the London Fire Brigade.

It broke out on the ground and first floor of a terraced house on Napier Road, in East Ham, shortly before 08:30 BST on 13 July.

There is no evidence at this stage of the investigation to indicate any suspicious circumstances, a Met Police spokesperson said.